


EMBERS

by tnnyoh



Category: Dishonored (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Canon Divergence, Emily Kaldwin - Freeform, F/M, Post-Canon, Rituals, Slow Burn, The Outsider - Freeform, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, emsider, sometimes there is blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-05-18
Packaged: 2018-09-24 06:28:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 50,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9708005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tnnyoh/pseuds/tnnyoh
Summary: A year has passed since the coup of Emily Kaldwin's throne.  She is struggling to move past everything that has happened but when a strange artifact is found Emily teams up with a God in order to save The Empire from certain demise and expose the hidden agenda's of The Abbey.





	1. An Afternoon Talk

It had been nearly a year since the coup against Empress Emily Kaldwin, a year since Delilah had stolen her throne and turned her father into a stone statue with black magic... Emily had troubles adjusting to life without being on the run, She had become used to the comfort of not being safe... The danger lurking around every corner, Of course she was glad that everything had been set right.. But at the same time she occasionally had an ache for all that was past... Or maybe she was just tired. 

She had more time to herself and she had no idea what to do with it except plan travels that she may never go on, Traveling the world sure did sound fun but it wasn't exactly the kind of adventure she was looking for, Her father had noticed her behavior lately and one afternoon he had come to speak with her about it, a soft knock on the door to her chambers. 

"Come in father" She said, he entered the room and gave her a smile, He was carrying a trey of food "It's lunch time.. I thought you'd rather eat in your room than have to go downstairs"  
"You know me so well" She smiled as he set the tray down, He sat in a chair beside the open window "Emily.. you know.. I've noticed that you've been distant lately"  
"I have no idea what you're talking about" Emily avoided her father's gaze, that man could get you to tell him anything by just staring at you, When she was growing up she would feel guilty even if she had done nothing wrong, After a few moments of silence "Father" She said "I'm fine"  
"Emily" He said seriously "I know my little girl, and you haven't been acting yourself since..."  
"Since what? The Coup? Delilah? Getting this damn mark?" She said, indicating her hand "It's not like I can ever be normal again.. Not after what happened, even without this mark.. I'm not the same person I used to be."  
"You're still my little girl" He said, with a sad little smile "I want to be able to be a good father.. and help you through the problems in your life"  
"I just don't think you-"  
Her father cut her off "Emily, if you're about to say that I don't understand what you went through... You're partially right, I don't.. It was your experience... But I remember being framed for what happened to your mother all those years ago.. I remember the cruelty of the torture I endured in prison... And I remember the taste of betrayal when the men who stuck out their necks to help me turned their backs... I remember the bitter poison, and I remember the chill of The Void..."  
"How did you do it? How did you go back to normal after any of that?" Emily put her head in her hands and her father got up and sat back beside his daughter, he put his arm gently around her shoulders "I had distractions, I had you to take care of, it wasn't easy... I still had nightmares of those events.. Dreams where I was stuck in The Void"  
"Dreams" Emily scoffed. she looked at her hand and studied the mark on it "People look at me differently because of this.. No man or woman will ever love me.. I've become a monster" She bit her upper lip, tempted to start crying right there but restrained herself  
"Emily" Her father said, taking her hand and looking her in the eye "You're not alone in this, There are others"  
"A crazy old dead woman, a crazy witch who tried to kill me and take over living through my body, the assassin who murdered my mother, a boy who was eaten to death by rats, and you. That makes me feel like I am in great company" Emily said sarcastically.  
"I had the same feelings you did believe it or not, I felt crazy for a long time after what had happened.. I didn't know if what I had experienced was real... if The Void.. The Outsider.. if any of it was real" His brow furrowed "But I know... came to terms with it..."  
"With what, father? That you were a pawn in a much bigger scheme?"  
"No, with the loyalists... I was a pawn, With Hiram Burrows.. I was a pawn... But I still to this day don't know what I was to The Outsider"  
Emily smiled lightly at this "When I met him.. He called himself your friend"  
Corvo smirked "I guess you spend all those years alone, anyone who comes to visit is a friend" 

Corvo rose from his seat "Emily, I know this would all be easier if we could pretend none of it ever happened.. But it did... My story, and now your story.. and these marks tie us closer together than anything in this world.. Treasure that, and know that you can come speak with me about anything that is bothering you."  
"I used to hear the rats speaking to me... I remember telling you back at the Hound Pits... There was so much fear in your eyes when I told you" Emily said  
"One of my worst fears was you being pulled into The Void.. This mess" Corvo admitted "Now that it happened and you found a way to make it out alive.. I'm so proud of you" He turned to leave when a question came to Emily's mind  
"Was he nice to you?" Emily asked  
Corvo did not turn around "Who?"  
"He.. Black eyes.."  
"He was... something." Corvo said "Why do you ask?"  
"He was.. I don't know.. He was nice to me. Nicer than the stories make him seem"  
Corvo smiled and turned to face his daughter once more "Well those stories were written by Overseers, They hate people like us"  
"I guess they do" Emily said as she watched her father leave her chambers

* * * * * 

Emily found herself more lost in thought lately than she had been in a long while, She was stuck inside her mind because it was less boring than her reality, She had taken up reading in her spare time, learning about the history of Pandyssia and the origin of the Rat Plague, It made her recall her times at the old pub with Callista going through her teachings... Growing up in a pub in a run down district wasn't the ideal childhood. 

As she lay on her bed reading one of the leather bound history books she had, from her mother's collection of course, Rain started to hit against the glass of the windows, She rose from the bed to shut the windows and accidentally knocked over one her plants, Another thing she had taken interest in after the Delilah incident, Plants were nice to have around, and they made her smile, not a lot could do that these days. Her thoughts wandered to The Outsider, She had not seen or heard from him since almost a year prior, She sometimes wondered if she had lost his interest.. Since he only seemed to come to people who he was fascinated by, Maybe that fascination comes to an end eventually...


	2. A Familiar Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily feels lonely and disconnected from her peers, a familar feeling comes to her in the night.

Emily did not dream of The Void anymore, she had not had one single dream about The Void for nearly a year, She was grateful for that... But she still had the occasional nightmare about her mother's death and the events that unfolded sixteen years ago in Dunwall. She would have prefered the vague riddles of The Outsider to the vicious memories of Daud sticking a sword through her mother's heart. 

Emily pulled her hair out of it's tight bun, She had let it grow out a little in the last year so it was nearly down past her shoulders, if only by an inch, She ran her fingers through it - it felt silky, She liked it, When she was a child she always had short hair because her mother had said it was easier to keep "proper", Emily thought back to all those moments in her childhood after the Lord Regent rose to power, The Golden Cat, The Pub... None of these places were proper, and she wondered how her mother would react if she knew what Emily had seen. She removed her day clothes, to replace them with a soft lavender colored nightgown which she tied in the front, she blew out the candles and headed to bed, Another night of dreamless sleep, or nightmares... She rested her head against the pillows, her eyes felt heavy and she pondered why she was stuck feeling as if something was missing, It's not as if she did not live quite a privileged life, She was lucky to have made it out alive from the events last year, She was lucky to have her father, and to be back here in Dunwall.... But she still had a nagging feeling of being incomplete, being unfulfilled... She had friends, a social life.. But none of it felt sincere to her. 

She felt herself slipping into a not so restful night's sleep, she did not remember any of it when she woke but she had been tossing and turning all night, Emily had no idea how long she had been asleep before she suddenly woke, her room was completely dark.. It seemed as if there were no lights in the world at all... She sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and pushing the blanket aside "Hello?" She said, getting up out of the bed and touching her bare feet to the floor, She walked towards the window and looked out... Nothing was visible, Was she still dreaming? 

"Hello?" She repeated, feeling strange and oddly cold all of a sudden, It had been a long time but she vaguely remembered this feeling, for some reason her heart started racing as she turned around and was faced with him.. The Black Eyed Man, She stared at him   
"Emily Kaldwin" He said   
"What do you want?" She said, crossing her arms over her chest to make sure her nightgown stayed shut   
"Am I not allowed to visit an old friend?" He said with almost a smile  
Emily raised her eyebrow "Friend? You only come around when you want something."   
"Maybe friendship is the thing that I want" The Outsider said, sitting on the edge of her bed "I have been very alone for a long time... These little moments are few and far between"   
Emily looked down, she remembered the story he told her about how he came to be, How terrified he must have been, how helpless... She sat beside him on the bed and placed her hand on his shoulder "Why haven't I seen you? It's been a year since... all that"  
"I tend not to interfere, and if I do... I tend to stop when the events that caused me to are over." He said, staring at his fingernails for some reason  
"Or maybe you just don't find me interesting anymore, I'm not on the run.. I'm not trying to get revenge" She said, looking at her feet, She felt a little bit uncomfortable sitting so near to him, but she dared not move   
"You still have my mark" He said, taking her hand and looking over the mark that he had placed there "I never cease to be interested in those I have marked"  
Emily snatched her hand away from him, he looked.. confused? Offended? She couldn't tell. and she didn't know if he even remembered how to feel those emotions   
She snorted "It seems to me that you just play with people and then abandon them completely when they stop entertaining you, Mr Chessmaster"  
"A chess master carefully plans their moves, They are directly involved, I do not plan anything, and I am not directly involved, I simply observe." 

The two sat in silence for a couple of moments, The Outsider was the first to break the silence by speaking "You have let your hair grow out" He said  
"Nice observation" Emily said snarkily   
"It seems as though you feel betrayed... Abandoned in some way by my not appearing to you? I assure you Emily, I do not normally appear to the same people within the same generation...."  
"I don't know what I feel, I'm confused... You treat me better than anyone in my regular life, those moments I had with you in The Void were better than most of the things I've ever done." Emily admitted  
"I'm not sure how to respond to this"   
Emily looked at him, she took in all of his features... His cheekbones, his strange black eyes, the hair that fell onto his forehead, his ears, Emily had noticed his handsomeness before but felt kind of breathless being faced with him again. She tried to avoid eyeing his mouth, she tore her gaze away from him and looked awkwardly around the room  
"Do you remember?" She asked after a moment  
"Remember what?" He asked  
"Anything.. about being...human?" She said, trying to be delicate  
"It has been so very long, many of the things I had experienced in that life are hard to recall, I only remember darkness. Almost nothing of before the pain of dying, and even that is a very distant memory. As if it had happened to someone else" He folded his hands over his lap  
"I'm sorry" She said "I shouldn't have asked... I shouldn't have brought it up, I.. I am so sorry what they did to you" She put her hand on his shoulder once more   
"I have no issues with your questions, Emily"   
She leaned closer to him and without thinking about it she kissed him lightly on the cheek, She did not know if he could feel embarrassment, but she was almost certain that if he was alive in the conventional sense - his cheeks would have turned rosy red.   
Emily pulled away and bit her bottom lip to stop herself from smiling  
The Outsider put his hand up to his cheek where she kissed, he touched it lightly with his fingers and then looked at her, a question in his gaze, He was about to speak when Emily placed her finger to his lips "Shhh" She said softly  
"Emily... Kaldwin..." He spoke, but sounded strange..As if he was struggling to find the words   
"It's time for you to go" Emily said, "You're keeping me from sleep"   
"I will leave" He said "Am I welcome to return on occasion?"   
Emily shrugged   
The Outsider disappeared into thin air, leaving Emily sitting on the edge of her bed all alone, her face hot and her room unnervingly warm.


	3. Friction

Emily awoke to the brightness of the morning sun filtering through her windows, and her father watching over her  
"Emily" He said, a stern expression on his face, her eyes filled with the sleepiness of last night and her heart stuck in her chest, she thought he was there to deliver some kind of horrible news and she sat straight up "Father?" She said, her voice a hoarse whisper  
"I want to know why that is in here" He said, indicating her Rune that she kept on the table, the one from many years ago that she had found buried near the Pub, she had kept it with her back then too until it gave her horrific dreams that at the time she didn't understand, Emily froze and swallowed hard "Oh that?"  
"Emily, I heard you sneak into my room last night and take it, If you wanted it back you could have just asked me"  
Emily's entire body felt a wave of relief, she wasn't as worried about dangers of the empire as she was about Corvo having any inkling of her feelings towards  
_towards what, Emily?_ she thought to herself  
"I'm sorry, I just.. I've been studying the occult recently. Just the theories behind it and the history, I find it very interesting. I should have asked."  
Corvo smirked "Now Emily, I don't have a problem with you studying whatever subject you find an interest in but I'd take care not to let the Overseers hear you say what you just told me"  
"If the Overseers caught wind of what you were up to.. You'd never hear the end of it, I'm glad you apologized, I'm not even angry with you, I just hope you know there is no need for secrets with me, I'll never judge you" He gave her a smile and rose from his chair, "I'll send breakfast up for you" He said, and left the room.  
As he left the room became strangely dark and cold, and Emily recognized the feeling as herself being pulled from her world and into the Void

The Outsider was standing in front of her with his hands clasped behind his back, floating a few inches off the slab of rock that was itself floating in the nothingness  
"Time and time again I wonder just what exactly The Abbey of The Everyman would think about my Marked"  
Emily looked at the mark on her hand "I would assume they would think we were heretical monsters and try to murder us. Though.. For some of your marked I don't really feel sympathy" She said, a bitterness seeping into her words even as she spoke them "But I suppose you can't understand that"  
"I understand a lot more than you would know, Empress" He said, pacing back and forth  
Emily stood up, she grasped his wrist firmly and pulled him close to her, He was close enough to whisper directly in her ear "Except of course... this"  
Emily looked up at his dark eyes, she was both completely mesmerized and unsettled by this man standing before her  
"What is not to understand about this?" She said, gently moving her hands from his and placed them upon his face, his response was a flinch, he pulled away from her  
"Emily" He said, she was not great at deciphering the tones in which he spoke but even she could tell he was strained. "I must ask" He said, turning away from her "You have many people vying for your romantic attention and yet here you are placing it upon me. If I were capable of such emotions, I would feel flattered"  
Emily stared at the back of his head, she griped her fist tightly trying to contain the emotions she felt rising within her  
"I would like to know what is it that you think is happening here? What do you think possible to happen here?" He said, without turning around  
"And the question has come to my mind before that you are merely using our interactions as a distraction for what you feel is missing in your life"  
Emily bit her lip to restrain herself from shouting at him but it did not go the way she planned and before she knew it she was grabbing him by the shoulder to force him to face her "How dare you?" She spat, venom rising through her veins and slowly finding form in her words "How dare you!"  
His eyes tore into hers, she could not begin to understand what he was feeling, his expression told her nothing  
"How can you stand there and say that? I have had one hell of a year, which you gladly watched for your own sick entertainment, The least I could have hope for is a moment of peace, a MOMENT of quiet."  
She turned away from him, unable to handle his gaze anymore "This is where I find solace, this place, not you. If you think I came here for you, you are mistaken."  
She was struggling to keep her voice steady even though her body was shaking with the anger, she felt it in her fingertips and in the back of her throat, she felt it radiating off of her like smoke  
"Perhaps you can find solace elsewhere" The Outsider said and for the first time since Emily had met him he had a hint of something else in his voice, something besides endless mystery and a string of poetic symbolism. He sounded almost hurt... Emily thought  
"Of course" She said "Anywhere you are not"  
The world changed around her, she was back in her room and the taste of the void was still burning the back of her throat, or maybe it was the words she uttered moments before, her mark burned on her hand and she was almost certain that she had indeed upset The Great Leviathan

* * * *  
The dark edges of The Void did not bother him - They seemed sharp and jagged, but those words could potentially be applied just the same to what Emily uttered to him. His mind was never what you could refer to as "quiet" moments from the past, the future and through all possible pasts and futures raced through his head more often than not, He never slept because he had no need of it, but he did occasionally enjoy the subtle comforts of laying back. It made him feel more than what he was, nothing would ever come of it except thinking for eternity about the things that will happen, the things that have happened and the things that might happen.

He laid there, his hands behind his head and he closed his eyes, Images usually fluttered through his vision when he would close his eyes but this time there was nothing, just pure emptiness, a lack of thought, a lack of whispers from all through time, Something any mere mortal would experience... It was all replaced by an image of her face, It brought along with it a strange sensation of warmth. The Void wasn't exactly the warmest place, and it had been many years since he truly knew what it felt to be warm, but this was as close as he had been to touching true warmth in a very long time.

* * * 

"Father" Emily said, digging her fingernail into her own palm to stop herself from shaking "I have... something that I would like to discuss with you" She said  
Corvo put his book down and looked up at her, a look of concern upon his face "What is it, my darling daughter?" Emily twiddled her thumbs nervously, feeling as though she were about to tell him she broke a precious vase, her breath caught in her throat and she started to pace around the room  
"I am having troubles with a... relationship" She said, struggling not to choke on her words  
"A public relationship or a personal relationship?" Her father said, raising his eyebrow  
"It's personal... A personal relationship" She said, stuttering a little bit  
"I had thought you and that Wyman were seeing each other" He said  
"We were, but after everything with Delilah.. I just felt like I couldn't really handle being by myself let alone being with someone else..."  
"I hope you let them down easy" He said with a small smirk  
"As easy as is possible" She said, sitting down at the table across from her father  
"So you have a new relationship? What changed?"  
Emily felt the back of her neck sweating _I am so glad he cannot hear my thoughts, I would absolutely die._   
"It's not... really a relationship, I wouldn't call it that." She said hurriedly  
"But there are sparks?" He asked  
"Not... exactly I just.."  
"Emily" He said, placing his hand over hers "I haven't seen you this flustered in a very long time" He restrained from smiling "I'd love to meet the person that has you all tongue tied"  
Oh, you've met him  
"No" She said "You're making too much of a big deal over this, It's just some..."  
"What?" Her father asked "A crush? Does my little Emily have a crush?"  
Emily pulled her hand back and rose from the table "If you're just going to joke around, I'm sorry I even came to you with this" She said, storming off, her father calling after her "Emily! I was just teasing you"

Emily went directly to her room, slamming the door behind her - she felt like a bit like an immature teenager right now, She knew she was being overly dramatic and Corvo was just being his usual self, but she still felt heated. She sat on the edge of her bed and ran her fingers through her hair, There was a lot that she had on her mind, Things inside her were still rattled by the coup and Delilah, but she had to keep her mind clear and her hand steady, She had to fix what was broken.. It had been a year and she didn't believe she was doing a very good job. She had felt bad for putting her father in the position he was in and it caused a lot of tensions between her and her staff... What was she thinking? They had asked, putting a man of no royal bloodline on the throne as Emperor? She knew she had her father's support in the matter, that it was something he stepped up to... But she also felt as though she were just pushing all of the worst things over for him to deal with.

She closed her eyes, remembering for a while after her public announcement of her stepping down from the throne and placing Corvo upon it that many accused her of being an incompetent leader, Maybe they were right.... But she still had work to do, it wasn't all on her father's shoulders and she had promised him that she would help him every step of the way, She just couldn't do it anymore.. Not after Delilah, to sit where she had sat? To stare upon the masses that she had stared upon? There was no way Emily had the strength to do that.  
"And so you cowered away" A voice said, Emily did not have to look up to know that she was no longer in her room "You are quite an interesting person, Emily Kaldwin" She remained still, her eyes shut tight and heard him pacing around the way he always does  
"You won back your throne, and the trust of your people... You rescued your father from the depths of Delilah's dark magic and yet... It is not enough, is it?"  
Emily opened her eyes and stared at him "Yes, hello there." She said "If you have a point, I would greatly appreciate you getting to it sometime in the next year"  
He sat beside her, close enough that their thighs were almost touching "What are you after? Emily Kaldwin? What drives you?" he disappeared from her side, reappearing standing and right in front of her _I hate it when he does that, it makes me dizzy_   
"It used to be vengeance that drove you, that pushed you forward through each gruesome day...but you have nothing to be vengeful about anymore, and yet...the anger is still there" He said, walking back and forth in front of her with his hands clasped behind his back  
"I am not angry" She finally responded  
"You seem very angry, you seem angry that you are not in control of your life, You are angry still at Delilah for what she did to you and Corvo, you are angry at Daud for the murder of your mother" He said, she looked at him and it was hard to tell what he was doing, was he trying to press her? To get her to have a reaction? Because if that was his game she was about to show him just how reactive she could be  
"Your perceptions are astounding, of course I am angry at people who deserve my anger" She said, trying to control her hand from shaking  
He returned to her side, sitting quietly beside her and looking down "Do I?"  
"Do you what?"  
"It is very clear that you harbor anger towards me as well, if you only have anger for those who deserve it. Do I deserve it?" He asked without looking up at her  
"I don't know what you are talking about" Emily said, she stood up, He stood as well.. and he placed his hand on her shoulder "If you are angry with me, Please tell me what I have done, and what I can do to make it better"  
Emily took a breath "Why do you even care? You are beyond all of this, older than the dirt on the bottom of my shoes and wiser than even our best minds"  
"That may be so, I have been around for a long time... I have seen many things, But I do not understand them all. And I am not beyond all of this." Emily noticed a quiet, almost pained tone in his voice and she turned around to look at him "I am not beyond you"  
Emily looked at him, she did not know what to say or what his words even meant and she felt no need to ask him  
They were close, close enough that there was barely an inch of space between them, All of a sudden Emily felt very aware of this fact and her face felt hot  
"I am not angry" She said, her voice barely above a whisper  
"As you know" He began in a slow and hushed voice "All lie, lies protect you... Lies strengthen you, they can hide you and keep you safe. But I wonder what you are trying to protect yourself from"  
"Are you calling me a liar?" She said angry but soft, glaring into his black eyes and wanting to push away from him but feeling absolutely powerless in her attempts to move  
"There are no accusations of you being dishonest from me, Emily." He said, not moving either.  
_He's close enough that I could kiss him if I wanted to_ she thought, she pushed away that thought "Then why do I feel like I am on trial here?"  
He finally did what Emily did not have the strength to do, he slowly walked away from her... She felt a great weight lifting off her shoulders and she was able to breathe again, She sighed with relief  
_I could still kiss him, doesn't matter how far or close. I could just grab him by his stupid jacket and pull him into me._ Emily rolled her eyes at her own thoughts  
"Perhaps it is time for you to think on the things I have said."  
"What? I don't need to think about them, You're telling me I am angry and a liar" She said, starting to feel the urge to yell at him  
"I believe I am aware what I am telling you, and I am certain you know that I am right." He said, pacing around again "Remember that dishonesty is the path to many things, not many are good." Before she even had the time to try to decipher his cryptic set of words, she was back in her room, sitting on the edge of her bed once more.

 

She had a headache.


	4. No More Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corvo deals with the Empire while Emily takes a break from the throne

"In conclusion" Corvo said to the crowd "I believe that the only way we can truly clean up crime in this city is by having another option, I have discussed with the City Watch that the Wall of Light check marks have to go,  We are not facing a rat plague anymore, Dunwall is more than capable of taking care of petty street criminals without obliterating them" Emily looked at her father, He was giving a speech to the people of Dunwall, In the wake of Delilah's coup - Emily set her father in her place as a temporary ruler, it was his idea as a way to let her get some much needed time away, He dealt with official business, paperwork and more of the things she had let slide over the years. She wanted to be a better ruler, and she would be - She just needed some time.

 

One of Corvo's most recent ideas was to get rid of the Wall of Lights, Emily had to agree, they were nothing but morbid reminders of a time every one would rather forget.  As the crowd began to disperse from the tower Corvo's royal aide came towards him and leaned in to whisper 

"My Lord, The meeting with the high Overseer has been pushed forward, He wants to speak to you in private"

Corvo sighed "Can it not be later? There are other important matters I need to attend to."

"He is a very busy man, Lord Corvo, He has altered his schedule for this meeting." Corvo's royal aide said, sounding as exhausted as Corvo looked

"Fine, I will meet him in the courtyard in a couple of moments" Corvo said, waving away his aide. 

Emily and her father were alone and this was the first chance they had to speak since the morning "Emily" He said turning to look at his daughter

"I am sorry about this morning, I wasn't trying to hurt you, I just... I haven't seen you act this way before,  This isn't a territory I've been" 

Emily smiled and approached her father, placing her hand on his shoulder "It's fine, father,  I know you were just teasing and I reacted poorly, I haven't been sleeping well." She admitted

"Maybe it's that Rune you're keeping on your bedside table" He said, raising an eyebrow "You always said it gave you nightmares before" 

"No" She said "I don't have those nightmares anymore, and even if I did.. I've _been_  to The Void, It doesn't scare me."  She laughed a little bit

"I've been there more times than I can count and it still gives me the chills." He said and rose from the throne.  He sighed heavily. "Well, I have to go and meet with the High Overseer, I hope to get it over with before dinner time" He gave Emily a hug and she smirked "I find it awfully ironic that you are just about to meet with Overseer Whitmore and we're discussing how many times we've seen The Void"

Corvo laughed in spite of himself "Keep it down, Emily." He said regaining his composure and he headed towards the tower doors.  He turned towards his daughter "I should be back before too long." 

"Have fun" Emily said with unbearable sarcasm and a smile, She headed up towards her room and shut the door.

 

A noise behind her made her aware of another presence in the room, she turned from the door.  Her father's royal aide, Edward Stemmel was standing there looking disheveled, his blonde hair sticking up in random spots 

"Oh my goodness" Emily said "You startled me! I thought the rats had gotten in again" 

"Oh no, just me" He said, looking at his hands

"What are you doing in here?"  She asked, raising an eyebrow "I would think you'd be with Corvo in the gardens" 

"Overseer Whitmore requested a.. one on one audience with Lord Corvo" He twiddled his thumbs,  

"That isn't so odd, do you happen have any idea what he wishes to meet with my father about?" 

"Nope, I have no idea.  Well, I best be out of your hair." He said, quickly pushing past her and heading out the door and down the hall.

She scratched her head.. His behavior was suspicious, and he left without answering her question, Maybe he was tired, Emily thought... There were a lot of things that a Royal Aide had to do in one day and it can become very overwhelming. But still, she was very suspicious of his behavior. 

 

She headed towards her dresser and mirror, taking a small golden comb and running it through her hair - she saw her bedside table in the mirror's reflection and noticed something was missing, she turned around and saw that the rune she kept on her table was gone.

"Seems like he is taking an interest in the occult" a voice suddenly said, breaking the silence and giving Emily a slight start, which she tried to cover by grabbing her comb and running it gently through her hair.  She then turned around to smile and cross her arms "I don't know how you do that. But I want you to stop it." 

"How I do what?" The Outsider asked, tilting his head in confusion,  Or whatever Emily suspected he was capable of feeling that could be compared to confusion 

"It's one thing" Emily began, starting to pace around the room in front of her bed where he was sitting "When you drag me into the void to talk to you, but showing up... in my room, in my tower, in _here_  with _The High Overseer_ outside speaking to my father,  What exactly are you trying to do? Get me branded as a heretic?" 

"There are more important things that you should be concerning yourself with,  There is a bigger game at play here than you realize"  

Emily rolled her eyes "And... I suppose you're going to watch and revel in each decision I make without actually offering me any help?"

He stood and approached her "I do not interfere. I _observe_ " 

Emily stepped closer to him and gently placed her hand on his pale face "I don't care, I don't want you here, I don't need your vague poetry and your unsolvable riddles"

He stared at her with his deep black eyes, she felt like she was looking into the void itself and before she could stop herself she leaned into him and kissed him, pressing her lips hard against his

She pulled herself away, breathing hard and feeling her heart pounding in her chest "You need to _leave_ " She said through gritted teeth

"I have nothing else to do" He said, his voice barely above a whisper "What a strange turn.. This empress, skin of iron, a heart full of fire." 

She glared at him and turned, crossing back towards her dresser

"You have seen so much darkness, Emily Kaldwin.  But your resolve and strength is admirable." 

Emily rolled her eyes while digging her fingernails into the wood of her dresser and staring at her reflection in the mirror.  He disappeared from where he was, reappearing right beside her. The Outsider had always been unpredictable and unreadable, shadowed in mystery and things Emily didn't fully understand - But what he did next was the most unexpected as he placed his hand on her face and turned her towards him and kissed her, it was a kiss that took Emily's breath away completely.  She reluctantly broke the kiss and pulled away "What the hell?" She said, struggling to regain her breath...She closed her eyes and when she opened them again, The Outsider was gone.

 

* * * * 

He sat on a jagged dark outcropping located on a small unremarkable Island of The Void and he looked at his hands, He was studying his fingers and the way they moved - It had been a very long time since he was alive, and though technically he could touch things, even grab things... Hands were somewhat a mystery,  Such power they could hold, and such weakness.

 

He closed his eyes, There was a time in his life where he did not interfere with the mortals living on the other side - He watched, he observed but he did not interfere, beyond his few marked, There were no others who could say they had directly spoken to him... With each marked he felt more and more of a personal connection and he did not understand it,  He had spent four thousand years here, alone... Why _now_ did it matter to connect? 

 

_There is nothing to be afraid of_  a phrase floating around the void, memories long forgotten, He stood,  He walked quietly and carefully to the small outcropping where he was murdered, Staring into the hard faces of the sculptures that depicted all who were watching when he was killed... _This is not your destruction! This is your salvation! This is the salvation of all!_ He looked up, an endless dark that pulled at many..  This place, he.. These were things that The Overseers hated, they wanted all that remained of The Outsider to be destroyed.

A strange sensation overcame him, it rattled through him like the pained songs of the dying whales and tormented the foundation he was standing on.  The Void turned upside down and he felt himself fall, his head hitting against the hard rock floor of the outcropping... His vision blurred and he felt himself slipping away.

_there is nothing to be afraid of._


	5. All The Moments Frozen In Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Outsider shares more of his past with Emily as an old artifact resurfaces, Emily feels a whirlwind of emotions.

Emily awoke in her bed, she pushed the covers off of her and was breathing heavy, putting her face in her hands and rubbing her temples. It was completely dark in the room save a small sliver of moonlight creeping in through the curtains on her windows. 

As he breathing calmed, she became aware that there was someone else in the room with her, but it wasn't a room anymore. She was in The Void - Stone statues of moments frozen in time all around her, the closest was a mother holding her daughter's hand

"There are stories passed down through the years" The quiet and sinister voice spoke suddenly, echoing all around her "I have heard this one told many times, every incarnation of it is wrong. A woman and her child were said to have been robbed at knife point in broad daylight. What really happened was the woman and child were shot in the street by an Overseer of the Abbey." He circled Emily as he spoke, trails of black smoke following him

Emily gasped "Oh my goodness" She placed her hand gently on her chest in shock

"That is not the worst of the story, the worst is that the Overseer shot the little girl first - Ignoring all the cries and pleading of the mother trying to save her child, He enjoyed it. He reveled in what he was doing. And he went home that night, washed the blood off his hands and went about his days as a man of Faith, a man of virtue." He stopped in front of her, almost as if he was waiting for her response

"Why are you telling me this?" Emily asked, looking at the smoke around the man standing in front of her 

"You had asked me before if I had any memories of being human" He started to pace around again "The story I just told you is very similar to an event that happened a very long time past. A criminal, a knife, a busy crowd of people, and a woman helping her sick brother cross the street" 

Emily waited to see if he was going anywhere with this, but he stayed silent 

"It is perhaps the last memory I have from when I was alive" He stopped in front of her "There was a young boy there that day standing with the scared masses of the crowed. He was close enough to the event that he could not only see it, but be covered in the woman's blood when the criminal killed her and her brother" 

"Was that you?" Emily asked, her voice barely a whisper

The Outsider nodded "It is.. it was, a memory that haunted me. Many months passed but the night terrors did not stop." 

"Why are you telling me all of this?" 

"It is merely an answer to your question, Emily." He offered with a slight shrug

"You could have.. answered in a less violent manner" 

"And not quite a year ago now I stood here and watched you place your sword in another man's neck in your quest to win back your throne from Delilah. His blood dripping down his body, pooling at his feet" He stood directly in front of her, his hands held behind his back 

Emily looked away, feeling suddenly ashamed of herself "I.." She started

"Far be it from me to judge a living being's decisions, Do not think that is what I intend with my words to you. I am merely making an observation" 

"Is it an observation when spoken with such a sharp tongue?" Emily inquired "Why do I always feel like you're looking down on me when we speak?" 

"Forgive me, your kind and noble Majesty. I am not one to communicate with many and as such. I am rather lost on many of the nuances of what being human is" 

Emily laughed "An understatement, to say the least" She gave a small curtsy "All is forgiven" her laugh diminished to a small but sad half smile as she sat down in the unforgiving darkness, The Outsider sat beside her, giving her a sideways glance before speaking again

"Your life has been very interesting in the last years, has it not?" He inquired

"You can say that again" She said "I don't even know how I got out of any of Delilah's games alive.. but then again, I think dealing with Delilah was easier than dealing with the crazy man with the knife" 

"Ah yes, Zhukov." The Outsider nodded "I watched those events as they unfolded. From the moment he found his weapon in the depths of Tyvia to the moment he fell to his death." 

Emily gave him a look "If you were watching, why didn't you help? I can think of many times during that little adventure that these powers would have come in handy." 

"It was not my place to do so. But I was intrigued by your actions, astonished by the lengths you would go to protect your people"

They sat in silence for a while, neither of them knowing what to say

"About that knife" Emily began but she was cut off by The Outsider holding a finger to her face, as if to silence her. 

"Yes" He said simply "It is the same knife. This is all I will speak on that matter" 

Way to go Emily, she thought You just reminded him of the weapon that murdered him during that horrific ritual. 

"Wait" Emily said "is?" She shook her head "That knife was destroyed with Zhukov in the explosion" 

The Outsider did not acknowledge her remark, She sat with him a while longer in complete silence, soon she felt the weightlessness of sleep carry her off into distant dreams.

* * * * *   
"What is it that you wanted to speak with me about, Emily?" Corvo said, lifting up his cup of tea to his lips and blowing lightly. It had been several days since she had seen his royal aide in her room and there was still no sign of the rune that had gone missing from her bedside table

"It's" she faltered, should i really tell him about this? What if it was nothing? A mere misunderstanding? "It's.. about.." She struggled to think of something to tell her father - They sat there in silence for a few moments, Corvo reading correspondence letters and waiting for his daughter to speak and Emily fidgeting with her signet ring. 

The room lurched all of a sudden as if the castle was being ripped from it's very foundation, the sunlight filtering in from the large windows was replaced with a blinding darkness, Emily was no longer sitting at the table in their tower. She was now in The Void.

Emily looked around "What in all the isles?" 

"You're here" a voice rang out "Because there are dark plots in motion"

Emily spun around to find The Outsider standing there, looking as plain as ever and yet somehow sinister at the same time, "I suppose you are wondering why I brought you here" He said, extending his hand "If you'll follow me" Emily took his hand and let him lead her 

"I have been watching the world very closely as of late" The Outsider spoke as they walked up a rocky outcropping 

"As fate would have it, an object familiar to us has been found" He stopped, Emily almost ran right into him and struggled to steady her balance 

"Less than fifteen years ago a man by the name of Zhukov found a knife in the salt mines of Tyvia. You dealt with this man not two years prior. He took the knife and used it's cursed knowledge to learn how to create extremely powerful and extremely dangerous bone charms." He turned to face Emily

"Yes he certainly did concoct interesting charms" The Outsider continued "He also carved a mark into his skin because he believes that he had a vision of me when he found that knife. He claims that I came to him. This... is a falsehood." 

He turned around to continue walking, Not speaking again until they reached a familiar site, A ritual frozen in time, but this time it was different. On the altar there was a young boy struggling against his binds and screaming at the top of his lungs. 

"I did not come to Zhukov, I did not mark him. But he did have a vision of me. This one." He said, his voice barely a whisper. 

Emily watched horrified as the frozen scene seemed to come to life - hooded men holding the boy down as a third man with a twin bladed bronze knife slowly brought the knife down, pushing through the young boy's throat. Blood was running out of his neck, dripping to the altar and gathering on the floor below.

The scene disappeared and The Outsider turned to Emily, the screams still lingering in her ears - She avoided his eyes

"There is a great danger for whoever holds that knife, it is cursed beyond even the powers of a normal witch. The ritual it was used in imbued it with dark powers from The Void." 

Emily felt herself half listening, the image of the young boy seemingly burned into her eyes "How... could they do that?" She asked "He was... just a boy..." She felt stunned. 

She felt a hand on her shoulder "Emily, there are things at stake here." 

She looked up at him "How old was he... you..?" She asked quietly. 

"If it is your wish to know, I will answer." The Outsider sat down on the altar, his feet barely touching the floor. Emily remained standing 

"I was fifteen when I had my life taken away from me." 

Emily took a step closer to him "Do you remember much of your life?" 

"Little moments. I remember that I once had a home"

"Do you... remember your parents?" 

"I do not." 

Emily looked at him, when she had first met him he seemed so enigmatic, a towering figure of myth and legend, But what she saw before her was just a young man, sitting atop the altar where he was murdered and swinging his legs ever so gently. 

"Don't you think it's a little... uh... morbid to be sitting there?" 

The Outsider looked around and then back at Emily "Do you suppose any of of these men will stop me?" Emily rolled her eyes "Ah, the sarcasm. I was beginning to think you fell ill." 

He ignored her remark and stood "Are you finished with the questions?" 

"Just one more" She said, her heart catching in her throat a little "How can you stand to see it replayed like that? How can you be here and look upon this place?" 

"It is no different than normal" He said "I see it all the time. The screams of that young man will haunt this place for all eternity" Emily looked right into his eyes, so dark and fathomless "That must be.. very... difficult" Emily felt a little breathless and lightheaded, standing so close to him. 

"It is not so, That was a very long time ago. What has past. I am more concerned for what could come to pass. Which is why I brought you here. You must find that weapon. " 

Emily watched him as he spoke, not hearing anything he said as she was too distracted by focusing on his lips, the way his mouth looked when he formed certain words, She started to feel the same dizziness she felt when she had a little bit too much Tyvian Red. 

"Oh hell" She said softly, She grabbed the collar of his coat and pulled him into a kiss, She felt lightheaded and was pulling him with such force that if she were to fall, he would fall right with her. Maybe it wasn't the smartest idea to make out with someone at the edge of the void, The thought crossed Emily's mind - But the risk of danger was overshadowed by the warmth of her lips pressed to his.

She pulled herself away, the lightheaded feeling catching up with her as she lurched over and lost consciousness entirely. Leaving a very confused and ordinary looking God standing by her side.


	6. All That And The Void Too

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily's life takes a difficult turn when she realizes that The Abbey of The Everyman is concerned about a found artifact.

"Emily" Corvo's voice echoed around her "Emily?" Her eyes started to lift, she blinked a few times to clear her blurry vision and she sat up slowly

"What.. what happened?" She brought her hand up to her head  
"We were sitting here and you just fainted" Corvo said, placing a hand on his daughters back to keep her from falling over  
"How long was I out?"  
"Well, I've tried to wake you for about ten minutes. Have you been sleeping enough?"  
Emily groaned "Ugh father"  
"I'm concerned about you Emily, you've acted very strange lately as it is and now you're fainting?"  
"Yeah" Emily said, grasping her father's hand as he helped her up "I'm taking it up as a hobby" She smirked  
Corvo shook his head "I don't know where you get that from, your mother was never like that"  
Emily shrugged "Oh I don't know who in the world I could have gotten it from" She sat back in her chair "I was really.. only out for ten minutes?" Corvo took his seat and folded the paper he had been reading "Just about"  
"It felt longer" She said, running her hand through her hair and shutting her eyes tightly for a moment  
"How would you know? You were unconscious" Corvo laughed "Can't exactly tell the passage of time while you're asleep" He chuckled but after a moment his eyes widened  
Emily caught the change in her father's expression and she pushed herself up from the table "I think I may take to my bed, Maybe you're right... I'm just not sleeping enough"  
Corvo raised his eyebrow at his daughter "Emily, is there something you're not telling me?"  
She shrugged and smiled "Nope!" She said, slowly turning and heading back towards her room.

 * * * * *  
The Outsider was alone, as he often was - but lately it had started to become a weight on his normally weightless mind. He closed his eyes.

 _Why can't I be free of these plaguing thoughts_ he mused, darkness swirling around him. _Why can't I be free of this place?_ He had been here for so very long, he was as much a prisoner of The Void as he was part of it, he was chained to the darkness and would never be free of the shackles, like thousands of hands grasping him from the shadows and pulling him ever downwards.

A constant heaviness weighed on his soul, although does one really have a soul if one is not truly alive? The only respite he seemed to have from the heaviness was when he was in the company of Emily Kaldwin, But he feared his overwhelming need to connect was destroying what he was created for.

His entire existence was to be an observer, not to interfere, not to step in and fix things. And yet he had broken that rule more times than he can count for Corvo and Emily, Especially for Emily..

And now there were new terrors rising in the world, terrors that once again put his existence and The Void as he knew it at a horrible risk, there were monsters out there who searched for power that would shatter the balance of the world, and he saw it, he watched them search for it, and he watched one of these such monsters find the knife that ended his life, The air around him felt different, and he feared one small misstep would snap the connections holding it all together.

When he was alive, he believed in deities, he believed in angels who watched over the world and kept it safe from harm. He would go to sleep each night content with the world because he knew that the angels would protect him, no matter how dark things got. Now he knew the secrets of the world, he knew the sickness inside humanity, and now that he was one of those deities, overlooking the world... He didn't think many of them deserved protection.

He put his face in his hands, he was so very tired.

* * * * *

Emily was so tired as she looked out her bedroom window, it had been several days since her fainting incident and Corvo was not letting up with his suspicions, She was trying to do her best to dodge his questions but he was becoming relentless, She knew he was just worried about her but she also knew he was a very smart man and that he would eventually figure out her secrets.

She had no idea what she would do if Corvo found out about her visits to The Void and her... moments with The Outsider. How would that conversation even go? Emily mused, imagining her father standing with an outraged expression as she tried to explain her relationship with the black-eyed man.

Relationship? She thought to herself, It wasn't exactly a relationship - Not in any normal sense of the word, although she supposed he was the closest to romance that she had been around for a while, though their moments merely left her more frustrated than romantically satisfied. "Why are you so frustrating?" She asked the air around her and she closed her eyes.

It was going to be a very long week for her.

She opened her eyes and sighed, Best to just head downstairs and have breakfast with her father before he was sent off on royal business. There was a part of her that missed being the one on the throne, but she knew that it was best for her to take a breath, especially after everything that had happened the prior year, Corvo seemed to be doing a great job taking over for her while she recuperated, though the public accepted him as an interim ruler, some were very vocally against him and Emily's decision to place him in control, even if only for a short while.

She came downstairs to join her father, only to find that her father had not yet arrived for breakfast. She took a seat at the table and sighed. She was certain her father was going to pester her about why she had been acting so different lately, Luckily Emily had the idea to distract her father with prepared questions.

She was thinking about what subjects she could bring up when he came into the room, crossing over to the table and taking a seat

"Ah, Emily" He said, picking up the paper that was sitting on the table "Sorry about the late arrival, I was discussing things with the High Overseer"

Emily looked up at her father, a confused expression playing over her face  
"The High Overseer? What is he doing here again?" She inquired

"Well" Corvo took a sip of his tea and set the cup down carefully on the table "The two visits are related, There seems to be trouble within the Abbey that is brewing"

"Why?" Emily asked, lifting up her cup of tea to her lips

"There are rumors of some heretical artifact being found somewhere, and some of the stories coming out are unsettling to the abbey, People walking off piers in large numbers, sailors disappearing. The High Overseer believes these are signs of bad times to come, He believes these are tricks of The Outsider"

Emily involuntarily choked on her tea, shaking her hand holding the cup and spilling it out over the table, She hastily set the cup down and regained her composure "People walking off piers?!" She said in an overly shocked tone that she was sure Corvo caught "That's absolutely crazy!" She tried to calm her breathing, Corvo put his paper down

"I don't know..You know how paranoid The Abbey is." He said, sipping from his cup again  
"What did they say on this artifact? A rune?" She took a napkin and wiped the spilled tea from her side of the table

"No" Corvo said, reaching for a muffin sitting in the middle of the table "They were vague on what it is, Said it was cursed though." He said with a chuckle "Now I'd like to believe that's paranoia too, but after everything I've seen, I believe it"

Emily chuckled uncomfortably "Well what does the High Overseer want with you anyway?"

"Because I'm in charge of the royal duties, and The Abbey is part of The Empire, I'm to go on a trip to the other Abbey locations in The Isles, Karnaca, Tyvia, Whiteclif"  
"Sounds more like a vacation than duty" Emily smirked as she took a bite of a banana muffin.

Her father chuckled "Do I detect jealousy?"  
  
Emily waved her hand "No no, Better you deal with The Abbey's paranoia than I" She laughed

"Is one heretic really better than another?" He said, lifting up his marked hand which was covered with a black cloth, as it was when Corvo was among the public, Emily had taken up doing the same thing after she had been marked "Fair point" She said, Corvo turned his attention back to his paper.

"When do you leave?"  
"I have to head out with The High Overseer this afternoon, We're heading to Karnaca first, as it's the closest city"  
"What about Dunwall?" She asked, a little nervous about the answer  
"Ah yes" He placed the paper gently on the table and looked up "I have someone in place to make all the official choices based on papers I've filled out. There will be no public meetings until I return, the palace is officially closed off to visitors."  
"That seems rather.."  
"Short notice? Yes, well I didn't have time to think of something else, I had no idea the Abbey was going to drag me along half The Isles."  
"It is for the best, It would be unwise to turn down the High Overseer's demands, Once he's set on something, that's it" She said, shrugging "I speak from experience"

"Well yes, but that was Khulan, rest his soul.. whitemore is a bit more.. relaxed. Not at all less paranoid though." He finished off his tea and rose from the table "I better be off" He said, leaning over to give his daughter a one-armed hug. I'll be unreachable for a while, Are you going to be okay here on your own?"She gave him a look "I'm not exactly ever alone here" She said "I'll be fine" Corvo smiled "Stay out of trouble." She nodded, though she didn't know that her father believed that she would.

She watched him leave through the double doors and sighed, she always hated when her father left her side, it was harder for her to stay relaxed when he was not here in Dunwall, and at the very worst it brought back memories of the last time he was sent away from the City only to come back to her mothers assassination and his imprisonment. Emily shook those memories away and decided to head back to her room.

* * * * *  
The Outsider opened his eyes, complete darkness surrounded him as always, but it was starting to bother him more than it ever had before. That isn't true the thought flew into his mind When you first came here, it bothered you. He shook his head as if to toss the thoughts out from his memory

He looked around at the darkness, He often felt as if he was being encompassed by it and eventually he would just disappear completely into a the tight grasp of The Void. isn't that already what's happening?

He turned around, he often found himself watching over the mortal world, Normally it was strangers on the streets - sometimes it was the Marked, those he could find anyway, Today, it was Emily Kaldwin - Sitting alone in her small breakfast nook and looking as tired as he felt, he watched her pick herself up from the chair and walk to her room - She crouched down to her knees and stuck her upper body under her bed frame, When she came back up she was holding a great leather-bound book, she placed it atop her mattress and wiped away the dust with her comforter.

The Outsider watched with interest, She was looking for something, that much he could feel.

"Heretical artifact" She whispered to herself "What does that even mean?" She flipped through the pages of the book "No" She said "No" She repeated when she didn't find anything pertaining to her search

"YES!" She shouted to the empty room, then she looked around and cringed "Yes" She said in a softer voice "Gotcha, heretical artifacts often include Runes, Bone Charms and the like" She read aloud "These things are often collected among those in The Outsider's wicked cabal" Emily snorted "Wicked?" She giggled and looked at her mark "Not quite"

She continued reading, The Outsider watched her with a mix of curiosity and amusement at her constant need to speak to the air

"Heretical artifacts may also be cursed objects, many items from the time of The Great Burning are considered to be heretical" Emily scratched her head, flipping back a few pages "Ugh" She said, "Why can't you just tell me a story" She said to the book in an accusatory tone

"The Outsider wouldn't take this long getting to the point" Then she chuckled "Oh who am I kidding? He'd take even longer" She shut the book and sighed heavily.

He wasn't certain that she retained information from their last visit, but he did know that The Empire was at risk of being in danger again, and he did need her help, The only problem was... He wasn't quite sure how to speak to her after the last interaction they had.

* * * * *

Emily shut the book and sighed, flopping back onto her bed and shutting her eyes tightly, That's odd, she thought, and sat up with the distinct feeling of being watched. She looked at her marked hand and saw the faint glow of blue dimming slightly

She gulped, It only ever did that when she was connected with The Void, such as when she was using her powers or when she was in the presence of the Outsider. Was he watching her? She looked at the ceiling, then she looked at the floor, What bloody direction is the void in? Emily thought, pushing the book away from her and standing "I don't appreciate being spied on" She said aloud "If you have something to say, come here and say it"

She didn't have to wait very long before the black eyed boy appeared before her, she was taken aback for some reason "Wow" She said "I didn't think that would work that fast"

"The Void is not in one specific direction" He said "it is outside of the spheres, It is directionless"  
Emily sat on her bed "I don't know what that means"  
"Read a book" He smirked  
Emily rolled her eyes "I suppose you saw me reading"  
"Yes, you are searching for something. Why?" He asked, pacing around her room  
"The Abbey is taking my father on a tour of The Isles because The High Overseer heard news of a heretical artifact being found, I was trying to find out the significance, Why does the Abbey care about some old artifact?"  
The Outsider paced around with his hands behind his back.  
"I do not know if you recall our last meeting, Emily. But I informed you of this very artifact."  
Emily froze "The knife?"  
He nodded once more  
"Why does the Abbey care about that knife?" She asked

"It has... powers, it can make you see things, feel things." He stopped pacing in front of her and gently sat near her on the bed "The Abbey is concerned that the knife may fall into the wrong hands, as it once did."

"How do they even know about this knife?"

"It is a part of their own history, a part they do to keep well hidden, It is a secret within The Abbey, No one outside knows, except now, you"

She leaned in with interest "What is it?"

"Over four thousand years ago" He began "There was a group of cultists who believed that The Void... would swallow the world whole unless they provided it with....an entity.. a manifestation" He looked at Emily "They searched The Isles, following certain signs for the perfect...entity" he looked away

Emily sensed that he was having trouble with this story, she gently placed her hand on top of his - ice-cold as it was

"Emily, the reason The Abbey exists is because of this cult, and what they did all those years ago... When they created.. me" He swallowed hard "They broke the world, there are cracks in the very foundation of the world because of my existence, The Abbey was born of a need to fix those cracks in any form that they saw them. Magic, heretical artifacts, shrines.. This knife is just another crack for them to mend, But it goes beyond that.... They know that it's the knife used in the ritual all those years before, that knowledge has been passed down to The High Overseers, it is a tradition, and the high overseers are the only ones privy to that information."

Emily grasped his hand tighter "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that The Abbey wants to destroy me because they believe they are responsible for creating me"

"What happens if that knife ends up in the wrong hands?" Emily inquired

"You saw what Zhukov was capable of doing with it, imagine someone else finding it? Someone more powerful.. They could use to to tear a hole right in the world, They could use it to bring the void into your world.. This world.. Everything would be destroyed, everything would be pulled into darkness, forever a prisoner"

Emily bite her bottom lip "What are we supposed to do?"

He gave her a sideways glance "We?"

Emily pushed herself up off the bed "Yeah" she said, standing in front of him, her hands on her hips "Do you expect me to do this on my own? To go against The Abbey on my own?"

"Emily, you are not exactly on your own and incapable of defending yourself" He poked at her marked hand with a pale finger

She grabbed his hand "Nuh uh" She said, shaking her head "If I have to do this crazy insane quest, you're coming with me"

His black eyes went from her hand on his to her face, his brows furrowed in confusion

"I.." He pulled his hand away from her and turned his head, she sat beside him on the bed "You are coming with me, I can't do this without you. I won't"

"I don't know that I have the power to stay materialized in this world"

Emily grasped his hands in hers "With me, you do" As she said this, small tendrils of shadows wrapped themselves around her hands and grew larger, tangling around the two of them, Emily found herself leaning closer to him, she felt her breath catch in her throat and her heart beat pounding against her chest  
He stared at her, his black eyes completely unreadable "Emily" His voice was almost shaking "W-what are you doing?"

Emily gently pushed him back down onto the bed, she was so close to kissing him that she was already feeling the tingles throughout her body when there was  
a knock at her bedroom door, Emily's eyes widened and she cleared her throat "Y-yes?" She said aloud

"Emily" Her father's voice said from behind the door "I'm heading to the docks for the trip, I'd like to see you before I leave, Give you a hug, maybe mess up your hair" He chuckled to himself

Emily bit her lip, still close enough to the Outsider that she felt both warm and cold, She pressed her hand to his mouth to stop him from making a sound "Uh- Father, I'm - Disposed?"

"Disposed?" Corvo repeated from behind the door "Emily, do you have company in there?"

Emily carefully pushed herself off of the Outsider and placed her finger to her lips in a "hush" sign.

"Emily?"

Emily coughed "No, no Father I just don't feel well, under the weather. I'd hate for you to get sick on your trip out."

"Em, I don't believe you but I do have to be heading out, We will discuss this when I get back"

"Nothing to discuss" She said, her voice going up an octave, she hit her hand against her face

"Right" Her father said "I'll see you in a couple of weeks Emily", he said, followed by the sound of footsteps walking away

Emily released the breath she had been holding in, she put her head in her hands and groaned loudly

She heard chuckling beside her, she lifted her head and saw something she never thought she'd see. the Outsider was laughing, his hand over his mouth.  
Emily gave him a sideways glare "Are you laughing? Honestly?"

He tried to contain his laughter but failed and spoke through the giggles "He just... you..." He fell back on the bed, laughing harder than Emily ever saw anyone laugh in her life, and certainly harder than she assumed he had ever laughed in his life. She smacked him on the arm "You're a jerk!" She said, pulling him up.  
"That was mortifying!" He bit down on his bottom lip to stifle the giggling

"He could have walked in here! What would I have told him?"

"Oh I don't know" He said, finally getting his laughter under control "'I'm Emily Kaldwin'" he said in a mock tone "'The Empress of The Isles can do whatever she wishes with whomever'"

Emily shoved him, but couldn't help a smirk appearing on her face. "Well" She said playfully "Not just whomever"  
She leaned in close and kissed him lightly on the lips, She pulled away and placed her hand gently on his cheek, his pale face staring blankly back at her  
He moved her hand away from him "We have a lot of work to do, Emily. It is not wise to fall to distractions based on repressed desires"  
Emily rolled her eyes "Fine, have it your way, Drive me insane with your frustrating and incomprehensible manner of speaking."  
"We must prepare, We have to leave the city, go to where the knife may be"  
"Where would that be?" Emily wondered "There's no site listed on where it was found, it could be anywhere in The Isles right now"  
"Pick a place" the Outsider said as he stood up and adjusted his jacket

"My father's headed to Karnaca... so I would rather not be anywhere near there"  
"That would actually be the best place to start, We should depart, and soon." He said, looking around the room "It is advisable that you bring anything you may need."

Emily rose from the bed "How exactly am I going to leave Dunwall without anyone noticing?"  
A smirk played over the young Gods face "I know just the thing"


	7. These Dances We Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tensions rise as Emily and The Outsider peer into the mystery surrounding The Empire

Emily did not think it possible for The Outsider to walk in the mortal world, he had shared with her that he was capable of doing this for very limited amounts of time, But because of their close connection and Emily's powers of darkness, He would be safe and remain in the mortal world only if he stayed by her side, The pair looked awfully normal as they walked through the crowded streets of Dunwall, making their way to the docks.  

They were both in disguise, Emily wearing a muted grey summer dress that had a buttoned top, glasses that had a chain hanging from them and a red wig she had pilfered during one of the many Boyle Ball party preparations inside her own tower, and the Outsider having ditched his large black jacket, was merely wearing the high collared white buttoned shirt that he had been underneath it, sun goggles covering his eyes.  They were both rolling luggage and Emily was carrying a large duffel over her shoulder.   
 

"This feels weird" Emily said tensely "I'm walking through Dunwall with a God"  

She pushed past several people refusing to move to the side, and accidentally bumped right into an Overseer. She looked up at the man and his horrifying mask  

"Will you watch where you are going?" The man said, his voice echoing inside his mask 

Emily felt her stomach churn, _These men were here because of The High Overseer_ , She thought and pulled herself back to grabbed the Outsider by his arm 

"We're on the same boat as my father" She said through clenched teeth "And The Overseers, and the  _HIGH OVERSEER_ " 

He shrugged "I suppose you have another alternative route to Karnaca? Why, isn't it a nice day for a swim?" Emily gave him a glare 

 "I'm serious, if we're found out, We're dead"  

"It's about four thousand years too late for me" He said with a deadpan delivery 

"I cannot do this, We are not doing this" She hissed as he lightly pushed her forward onto the boat.  "Tickets please" The woman up front said, Emily froze and the Outsider handed the woman a blank piece of parchment, She seemed to be happy with this and escorted them to the interior of the ship "Let me show you to your cabin, Sir and Miss" The woman said, Emily raised an eyebrow behind her glasses "Cabin?" The woman smiled politely "Yes, have you never been on a cruising ship before? The passengers each stay in their own cabins, Unless of course they are a couple"  She smiled at the pair of them 

   
Emily raised her hand in a wave "No no we're not a couple" She said   
   
"But you are together, right?" The woman asked   
   
Emily shot the Outsider a side glance  

"Well, yes we're 'together' in the sense that we're here together, but we're not  _together_."    
   
The woman smiled "Yes of course" She turned to a long hallway beyond the start of the interior  They followed down the end of a long hallway, and the woman unlocked a door with a fancy looking key, "There we go. I hope you enjoy your stay" She smiled and headed off back to the other passengers.    
   
Emily waited for the woman to disappear back up front before turning to her companion "What in the void was that back there with the parchment?"  

"Simple trick of the light, they see what they want to see"  

"Trick of the light?" Emily said "Why can't you do that with your complexion, you look like a walking corpse, How can people see you anyway?"  

He ignored her first remark "I may be a God that settles in the darkness of The Void, But I am not invisible, Emily"  

Emily hit him on the arm "Yeah, can it with the sarcasm, And don't call me Emily. We're trying NOT to be recognized here" She looked around, a worried expression on her face  

"Being recognized is something you have to worry about" He said 

"Oh shut up, Anton Sokolov painted photos of you, people would recognize the likeness!"  

the Outsider chuckled "You are very easy to upset"    
   
She rolled her eyes and pushed the luggage roller into the cabin, She dropped the heavy bag onto the bed "We need that stuff in here" She said to the Outsider, who was still standing out in the hall and looking around "Apologies" He said quietly, coming in and shutting the door behind him. He set the luggage roller against a chipped looking wooden dresser and he looked around "I wasn't expecting this to be so spacious"  Emily looked up from the papers she had pulled out of her bag and was now pouring over, they were maps and notes that she had taken from her father's study for any indication on what they were going to do in Karnaca    
   
"Of course it's spacious, It's a cruise ship" She said, looking back at her papers "It's not like they're going to squish their guests together in one closed off room."    
   
"Not everyone in The Isles has the knowledge you hold, Your Majesty" Emily looked up at him and raised her eyebrow "Nice tone"  

"I mean no offense, of course, Your majesty" He said, this time with a smirk as he sat down onto the bed beside the maps and notes "It is merely that not everyone has had your experiences, Did you learn nothing from your last trip to Karnaca?"  

"Excuse me?" Emily already felt the anger rising in her throat "Of course I  _learned_  something, My throne was stolen from me, my father encased in stone, I saw the Empire up close and personal and I vowed to change the way that I was responding to it on my throne"  

"That's very interesting" The Outsider said, fidgeting with the collar on his white shirt and ignoring Emily's pointed glare  

"Why do you have to do that all the time?" She pushed herself off the bed and turned her back to him  

"Do what?" He inquired 

"You always manage to be so condescending and judgmental about everything I do" She turned around to face him "And you know what? I'm getting a little sick and tired of it." 

"I apologize that you are hurt by my actions but Emily do be honest now.  Have you really  _learned anything?_ Because all _I_ see is you trying to forget the past and run away from the responsibilities of being an Empress." Emily froze in place, her face full of the same shock as if she had been slapped.  She headed towards the door, wrenching it open in anger "You know what?" She said, her voice shaking with anger "I don't need your help, I will do this on my own!" She stormed out of the cabin. 

* * * *  

A long time ago, there was a boy living in a city of filth - It was comparable to Dunwall during the rat plague.  Crime was at an all time high and many people struggled just to get by, This particular boy lived on the street had a harder struggle than most. He sat against a cobbled alley wall, he was covered in mud and his face in his hands, He was quietly sobbing. He remembered the feeling of the rain against his head and he recalled this moment very vividly when he saw Emily Kaldwin sitting against a wall in the hallway of the ship they were both on, sobbing in the exact same manner as the child in the dark city all those many years ago.  

He sat against the wall beside her, gently moving her hair aside and leaning close enough to whisper into her ear "I apologize, Emily" She sniffled and inched away from him "Don't talk to me" 

He sighed "I will be silent, if that is what you prefer"  He sat back against the wall and pushed the sun goggles atop his head 

Emily lifted her head up and hit it lightly against the wall in frustration "No, it's not what I prefer." She said after a few moments of silence "It's what I  _need_ " She shot a sideways look at him "You always make me feel the worst about who I am, and I'm sick of it." 

"It is not my intention to do that Emily, I merely wish for you to see the bigger picture.  You _are_ hiding, you _are_ running, and you have been doing it ever since you stopped Delilah. I want to know why"  He placed his ice cold hand on top of hers, she quickly drew her hand away in protest and they continued to sit in silence for the next few moments.  

"Yes that is a bit of a problem" a voice said, coming from the side.  The Outsider turned to see The High Overseer and Corvo Attano walking and conversing "I do not know what we are supposed to do about this but it is becoming more worrisome by the day, I  _know_  this is the work of heretics, Possibly in some sort of disturbing worship of The Outsider" The pair stood head to head and the way they were positioned, The Outsider could see Corvo rolling his eyes "With all due respect High Overseer Whitmore, I agree that there is something going on but your paranoia about heretics, black magic and The  _Outsider_  is becoming a little tiresome"  

"Do you not believe in these tales, Lord Protector?" High Overseer Whitmore asked 

Emily nudged The Outsider painfully in the side, partly to get his attention and partly because she was very angry with him "We should  _go_ " She whispered 

"Why?" He responded in the same low tone 

"Because my  _father_  is right over there and if he sees us..." 

He looked over and saw Corvo and The Overseer walking towards where they were sitting, He did the first thing that came to his mind and pulled Emily into a passionate kiss, One of his hands rested on the back of her neck and the other grasping her arm 

"I do not know what you want of me Lord Protector, I am merely informing you of The Abbey's concerns, If you did not believe there were dark influences at play then why did you even agree to come here?" The High Overseer said as they approached their door, right next to Emily and The Outsider 

"Because" Corvo said, opening the lock "I know that sometimes dark influences aren't as supernatural as The Abbey tends to believe, There is something going on here, I agree. But I wish you would look to this plane of existence" 

"The signs Corvo, The  _signs_  are all pointing to The Outsider."  He said, he then coughed loudly  

"Excuse me" He said, clearing his throat.  The Outsider felt Emily tense up against him and she pulled away from his kiss, her face flushed, she turned away "Do you youngsters mind not engaging in such lurid acts right in the middle of the hallway?" The Outsider coughed nervously, hurriedly placing his goggles back to covering his eyes, he grabbed Emily's hand in his, They rose to a standing position, Corvo still fumbling with the lock on the cabin door, Emily still turning her face to avoid her father seeing her and The High Overseer staring at the man who The Abbey of The Everyman hated "Apologies" He said, following with a deep bow  

"Now now, there is no need for all that" Overseer Whitmore said sheepishly  

"Oh no, there is" The Outsider said, still holding Emily's hand, Mostly to keep her from running away "I have done something wrong, I have done something against The Abbey and that is the last thing I have ever wanted to do." He felt Emily tug at his hand 

Overseer Whitmore's face broke out into a surprised smiled "Why, I've never met such a young man aware of his own faults and failures! My young boy, I must ask of your name."  

Emily squeezed his hand harder "I have taken up too much of your time already my good Sir, Pleased to be in your presence!" He said, smiling and bowing once more  

"Are you done, High Overseer?" Corvo said, turning to face the man accepting the doting from the obvious sycophant "We have business to attend to" he said,  Whitmore waved his hand  

"Corvo, corvo.  Why are you in such a rush? I have made the acquaintance of such a nice young man, So _rare_ it is to meet young people, nobles or not with manners such as these!" He said, as astonished as if he had walked into the bedroom of his home and seen a large whale taking a nap atop his comforter.  

"I was a young man once too High Overseer"  Corvo said, a hint of impatience in his voice 

Whitmore ignored him "And who is your friend?" He said, shifting his attention to Emily "Does she feel the same way about these behaviors? Does she also want to admit to wrong doing?"  

Emily squeezed his hand hard, If she turned around, if she spoke.. Her father would surely recognize her,  The Outsider had an idea but was not sure it would work the way he needed it too.   _There's only one way to find out_  he thought.   Emily would feel the mark burning beneath the long gloves she was wearing as part of her disguise, She let go of his hand as quick as if she had been grasping a hot flame and he turned her around, quickly leaning in and whispering "Don't worry. He won't recognize you"  

She smiled nervously at the High Overseer and her father, Corvo looked intensely impatient "Hello" She said, hearing her voice come out sounding different, she suppressed a mildly bewildered expression "I do have the utmost respect for you and The Abbey, your mission is a just one. I shudder to think of the horrible things that are done in the name of The Outsider" She said, giving a sideways glance to her friend 

Corvo tapped Whitmore on the shoulder "We really shouldn't be carrying on in the hallway like this, I would much like to get our work underway"  

Whitmore sighed "Business comes first, It was a delight to meet you youngsters" He said, shaking Emily's hand and then reaching for The Outsider's, Emily's eyes widened and she feigned tripping and falling into her friend and knocking him to the ground  "Oh dear, I'm so sorry!" She said   
"Oh my goodness" Whitmore said "Did I do that?" Emily shook her head in reassurance "No no, I am very klutzy! I wasn't paying attention at all" She threw her head back in a mock laugh, _It's lucky he's not very smart._ The Outsider thought

"Do you need help?" Whitmore said starting to approach her, Emily shook her head "We are fine"  

"That is good, Well we very much have to be going" Whitmore said with a smile Corvo steered the man inside the small cabin space, shutting the door behind them 

Emily was on top of him, breathing heavy and looking as pale and sick as he had ever seen her "Sorry about that" She said, pushing off of him "If he had touched your hand, he'd... know something was wrong"  

The Outsider sat up "Yes, quite.  Thank you for that."   They both rose to their feet and headed back to their cabin. 


	8. Dark And Nameless Beasts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "If you had a name, I would curse you!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter where I decided Whitmore would be more present in the story than I originally planned for him, He was going to merely just be a minor character that they had to deal with/be against, But I decided with him to be a more layered character who ends up being an asset to their adventures.

 During that evening, Emily and The Outsider were sharing space in the cabin to pour over maps of The Isles, piecing together whatever little information was in Corvo's notes about The Abbey's dealings and where knife artifact might be, They had been working mostly in silence until Emily broke it by asking him a question "What did you do back there?" The Outsider responded by looking at her and raising his eyebrow slightly as if to ask her what she was referring to

Emily hesitated "No" she waved her hands around "I know what _that_  was, But what did you _do_? Corvo didn't seem to recognize me at all, my voice sounded different and my mark was burning"

 "Drawing from the powers of The Void can make one able to do many things that are thought to be impossible" He answered, simply

"That's exactly the kind of vague answer I expected from you" She smirked 

"Emily, I do not understand.  Why are speaking to me in this friendly tone when I have done something to upset you?" He pushed up the white sleeves of his button shirt and ran his fingers through his hair "I shouldn't have gotten so angry" She admitted "I have a bit of temper and.. " she moved aside some of the papers and sat closer to him "I'm sorry" She said softly "What you said earlier it just... it..." She ran her fingers across his forehead gently "Do you not think that I have had those same thoughts all throughout Delilah's mess? That I didn't wonder what I could have done better?" She looked away

 "When I saw the world up close and the people of the Empire.. When I saw what they had to endure and knew that _I_ had made those things possible it made me wonder if... I was even fit to _be_  Empress..  I am not the person my mother wanted me to be, and that destroys me" 

The Outsider placed his hand against her face and turned her back towards him "I do not think you need to be more than what you are, Emily.  There are failures among everyone in this world."

 "My failures lead to people's deaths" Emily pulled away and looked down 

 "I have been around for a very long time, and I have seen many stories, many failures and many deaths.... This is merely a part of being alive"

She gave him an incredulous stare "That is what everyone said to me when my mother died.   They said death was merely a part of living" She rolled her eyes 

"You act as though I do not understand death" He placed his hand on hers "That I have not lost" He lifted her hand and placed it on his cheek "Look at me, look at what I _am"_

Emily placed her other hand on his face "What you are.. doesn't... seem so bad" She let out a sigh as she looked into his fathomless black eyes 

"It is... important that we do not get.. distracted from our mission here" He said, staring back at her just as deeply

Emily smiled and moved her hand to the back of his neck "I'm not distracted, I'm very...focused" she said breathlessly 

"Emily" He said, his voice barely above a whisper "I do not..." 

Emily brought her other hand up and pressed a finger to his lips "Shhh, be quiet now" She closed her eyes and was about to lean in kiss him when she fell face first onto the mattress

 "What in the void?" She said, looking up and around the room to find that the black eyed man had disappeared back to The Void

"If you had a name I swear I would be cursing it right now!" She yelled at the empty room "You can't disappear, I need your help here!" 

A swirl of black smoke appeared right beside her, she turned to look at him "What the hell was that about?" 

"Emily.. I feel as though you are losing sight the importance of our mission here" 

"I know what our mission is" She said "But I also know that we aren't going to be in Karnaca in several days, We're not missing anything" 

"We could be doing more research, discussing what we are going to do once we get there.  Where will we go?"

"Those are worries for another day" She said with a smile and grasped his hand, leading him to the bed "Emily, I am serious.  If you are not taking this as seriously as I am, I do not know that I can help you" 

 Emily pushed him back onto the bed "I am taking it seriously" She laid beside him and pushed his bangs off his forehead 

"Emily." He sat up "I believe it would be best if we focused on why we are here, not get lost in distractions and ill thought out wants and desires" 

Emily sat up and rolled her eyes at him "ill thought out wants and desires?" She said, mocking his tone "Is that what this is?  Because _you_  are the one who kissed me out there in the hallway" 

"I falsely believed it would make The High Overseer and Corvo not notice us" 

"And yet it drew even more attention to us!" She said, crossing her arms

"As I said, I _falsely_ believed" 

"Be that as it may" Emily began "You cannot say that your little stunt wasn't a tad distracting for _you_  as well" 

"I do not understand your meaning."  

Emily rolled her eyes "It doesn't matter, it's only a distraction" She stood "I'm going for a walk out in the halls, I need to get away from you" 

"Please recall that if you are gone too long I will return to The Void, I effectively cannot be here without you.  I require your presence" 

"Yes, darling" Emily said, she assumed the sarcasm was lost on The Outsider as she left the room

 

* * * * * 

The trip to Karnaca felt a lot longer than it was - The Outsider stood out on the deck of the ship, There were several couples around, enjoying the view.  It had been over a day and a half of the trip and Emily was speaking to him as little as possible, when she did speak to him, it was dripping with sarcasm and hostility. He knew that he was out of practice, interacting with humanity, but out of all the people he's ever interacted with, Emily was the one with the most fire, and the one whose drifting attentions seemed to bother him the most. 

He looked out at the water, rippling and gently crashing against itself as the sun's light reflected against it, The Outsider was of course wearing the disguise he had chosen when he and Emily were preparing to leave, his sun goggles over his eyes and his white shirt, sleeves pushed up to appear a little more casual.  His clothes weren't exactly from this time, People did not dress the way that they did during his time, and he came from a place farther than Dunwall, and even farther than Karnaca. 

 He was still unaware of what their plan was for the arrival in Karnaca, as Emily all but refused to speak to him, She was actively trying to avoid him it seemed, he had not been in her presence all day and he believed that the only reason he wasn't being pulled back into The Void was because he found one of Emily's rings laying on the table in their cabin and had put it on.   He liked the feel of it on his finger, it wasn't as heavy as her signet ring, but it was still very dark, the contrast of the dark ring against his pale skin almost amused him.

 The Outsider pulled away from the view and was just about to head back to the cabin level when he spotted High Overseer Whitmore, Corvo didn't appear to be around him,  The Outsider suddenly had an idea and walked towards the man 

 "High Overseer Whitmore?" The man turned around to look at the him "Ah! I remember you, the delightful creature from the other day, Most astounding there is even a good person left in this world. Especially in these dark times"

The Outsider nodded "I agree, Sir." They both stared out at the ocean in silence for a while, Whitmore was the first to speak again

"It gets exhausting" He said, a hint of sadness in his voice "I don't know how the others get work done. To see the world in a constant state of falling apart, I almost cannot bear it" He admitted, taking a deep breath

 "I hope you do not focus solely on the negatives, Sir.  The darkness in the world does not mean there is no light" The Outsider said, looking down over the edge at the water

"Of course my young man, I do see the light as well.  but sometimes the darkness can be so overwhelming, like hands of shadows pulling me ever downwards" He rubbed at his face "But what am I saying, You seem like a bright young man, I shouldn't be clouding your mind with darkness, You're far too young to be as bitter as I am, there is still so much time for you to be happy" He said with a sad smile

The Outsider responded with a shrug "I do not know why, but I've always felt a lot older than I am"

Whitmore nodded "Ah yes, you do strike me as one who is wise beyond his years."  _you have no idea_ The Outsider thought, whilst looking at the man beside him. "I have been told that before" He said aloud "But yes, For my age.. I do know what you mean" He looked away "Sometimes I wish.... I had more time" Whitmore chuckled at this "More time? My dear boy! You're young! _Cherish_ your youth! There are years before you have to worry about anything more than that, the future is far away for your generation" He patted The Outsider on the shoulder, suddenly withdrawing his hand as if he had just placed it into an ice bath.

 "I suppose you are right" The Outsider said, hoping his words would distract Whitmore from thinking too much about the cold "I should be off" He said "I wouldn't want to impose on your business" 

 Whitmore shook his head "Oh no, not at all, I'm just out here to take a little breather" 

 "Well, Alright... I suppose. if it is no trouble, I have been wondering... What is the Abbey in Karnaca like?" 

 Whitmore smiled "Curious about The Abbey? Have you not been?" 

"I come from a place very far away, We did not have an Abbey. We merely had cultists roaming the streets" He felt his eye twitch behind the goggles

"It sounds like you have been deprived, my young boy.  If you and your companion wish to, when we disembark, You may come with me and my travel partner to get a tour of The Abbey, Now I also have work to be done and I must speak to Liam Byrne, But I should have time to show you The Abbey, Do you know much about the history?" He asked

"Oh, only what I've read" The Outsider could feel a pull, as if shadowed hands were grasping at his feet, He needed to get out of here and go back to the cabin "I'm very sorry sir, But I must retreat to my Cabin, I'm getting a little bit sea sick out here on deck" He took a small bow

"That is fine! I urge you to come find me once you are feeling better, And if we don't run into each other on the ship again, I'll see you when we disembark to Karnaca, I truly hope you will enjoy The Abbey and Karnaca, such a beautiful place" 

The Outsider nodded "I have only ever seen paintings of Karnaca, This is my first time being here, but I really truly must go" He said with one final bow and turned to head back towards the cabins

He felt himself become increasingly dizzy, and he struggled to keep himself upright and the hallways lurched as he walked - each step becoming heavy and difficult as though he were wading through mud.  He was almost to the door when he collapsed and felt the shadows hugging his body, grasping him in a tight embrace that felt like a cage.


	9. Strangeness & Charm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being in such close quarters with The Outsider was not easy for Emily, and soon she'll have to worry about more than breaking strictures.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love writing these interactions so much.

 

Emily sat on the bed next to the Black Eyed Boy whom she had found passed out in the hallway directly outside the cabin door - She had lifted him up and carried him into the room, gently placing him on the bed and under the covers.  It had been a little over an hour since she found him, She placed her hand against his cheek and his eyes started to twitch  
"Emily?" He spoke, a coarse whisper "W-what happened?" 

"Funny"  Emily said, brushing the hair off his face "I was going to ask you the same thing"  She hesitated and pulled her hand away from him, rising from the bed "I found you outside the cabin taking a nap in the hallway" She said

"I lost consciousness" He tried to pull himself into a sitting position but fell back against the pillows, she fought against coming to his aide and simply said "I wouldn't move, just rest for a while"

"I am a _God_ " He said, again trying to sit up "I do not need to rest"  
Emily suppressed an eye roll and crossed to the desk where she had moved the papers that had been cluttering the bed, she sat at the table - not even looking at the papers but not wanting to be near him, there was silence for a while before he spoke again

"There is something I need to inform you of, And based on my knowledge of you, you are not going to be happy" Emily turned to look at him, _he looks so small on that bed, not god like at all_ she thought

"What?"

"I have an idea of what to do when we get to Karnaca, We need to be able to find out what information Overseer Whitmore is collecting on his visit."

Emily turned back to the papers "Yes..." She said through pursed lips "You're stating the obvious."  His next words were something she wasn't expecting "I know how to get that information"

Emily chuckled "Wow!" She turned the chair around to face him "Will it involve elaborate riddles and speaking in tongues?"

"You think I don't know when you're being sarcastic, but I do, Emily.  I do not appreciate that kind of reaction when I'm trying to be serious about this"

"What is that?" Emily asked, noticing the ring on his finger and crossing to the bed to lift up his hand "You stole one of my rings!" She said in an accusing tone  
He grabbed his hand away "I did not steal it" He said, Emily detected a hint of defensiveness in his tone, Which was always odd to her considering she was very certain he never had an emotion in his life, and doesn't know what they are "I have explained to you before that I need to remain in your presence for me to be able to stay here in this mortal plane"  He waved his hand around listlessly "You were nowhere to be found as you are apparently trying to avoid me, As such, I took something you owned"

Emily grabbed for his hand again "I want that back" 

He offered his hand "If you wish, but you must remain near me or I will be pulled back to The Void." He winced as she pulled off the ring a little more roughly than warranted

"Is that what happened out there?" Emily asked, putting the ring on her finger

"I have to assume so, as you were nowhere to be found" He said, resting his head back

Emily looked at him laying back on the bed, his arms limp to his side and his hair messy,  She had never seen him looking so disheveled before, she gulped. 

"So" Emily said, trying to push the thoughts out of her mind "What is this idea that you had that I'm not going to be happy with?" She asked

The Outsider remained laying back, his eyes closed and his head tilted back in a way that let Emily see his neck and collarbones "I spoke with High Overseer Whitmore on the deck earlier before I passed out"

Emily grabbed him by the collar of his white shirt and pulled him towards her "Are you insane?!" He flinched 

"No" He pushed Emily's hands off of him "He has grown fond of the attention I am capable of giving and he invited us to the Karnaca Abbey when the ship disembarks. I thought that it was a great way to get us where we already need to be, without all the secrecy" 

"Do you not remember what we are?" Emily hissed, pointing at the mark on her hand "I'm a heretic and YOU are The OUTSIDER" He looked away sheepishly "I know what I am called Emily Kaldwin"

"Have you even thought this through? Do you not understand the risks here?" She rubbed her forehead with her marked hand

"The only thing I am thinking right now is that you are criticizing my idea and not offering your own" He said simply. running his hand through his messy hair

"I'm not doing this, It's too risky" Emily said 

The Outsider did something she did not expect, he scoffed. "Empress Emily Kaldwin, Ruler of The Isles, Coup overthrower..." He leaned in to whisper "Do not think you can hide from me, Emily. I know the things you have done, I have seen the things you have done, and almost all of those things are more risky than what we are about to do" 

Emily closed her eyes and felt her breath catch in her throat "Fine" She said "I think the idea is incredibly bad and _when_ it blows up in our faces I won't say I told you so" 

"Thank you" He whispered, sending chills down her spine, She turned to face him "Can you _stop_ that?" 

"Stop what?" He said, pulling away from her and smiling "I have no idea what you're talking about" 

Emily shook her head "I can't believe you think this is a good idea" 

He closed his eyes "It's the only idea we have _Empress_ " He placed a sarcastic emphasis on the last word

"I cannot wait until we are finished with this and I don't have to see you anymore" She said, balling her hand into a fist

"You don't want to see me anymore?" The Outsider asked, scooting up beside her, she looked at him, Which was a big mistake.  For the first time Emily caught a hint of sadness in his features 

"I just want to get this over with, I know how dangerous that knife is and... We have to find it" She said, pushing herself up off the bed, she looked back at the God, _he looks so fragile_ She thought, starting to feel guilt over what she said and how she had been acting towards him 

"Uh" She said "I'm going to go out on the deck, get some fresh air" He looked down "You should uh.. get some more rest, I know you said you don't need it but.. We've been working nonstop and you fainted and..." She took off her ring and sat beside the God, she lifted his hand and placed the ring on his palm "You can wear that while I'm on deck." She said "I wouldn't want you to faint again" She turned to leave the room before he could respond, but not before she heard him sigh lightly. 

 

* * * * * 

Emily hadn't had a lot of time to herself since this whole mess started, she felt as though she never had a spare minute to relax or to clear her head,  She walked up to the deck to look out over the water - It was dark out so not many people were up there. She took a deep breath in and thought back, This time last year she had been standing on Billie Lurk's ship, The Dreadful Whale - trying to stop Delilah's coup.

 

She closed her eyes, She felt rather guilty about how she was acting towards The Outsider but she was really hurt by his insinuation that she wasn't trying to be a better person after last year, that she was just running away, but a part of her was even more hurt because she knew that he was right.  And there was a part of her that was frustrated by his inability to speak to her like a normal person, he seemed to not _get_  things the way a human would, They kept doing a dance around their obvious feelings for each other and Emily was starting to get tired of it. 

 

_Does he even have feelings for me?_ She thought and sighed, She had no idea how to read him, he was the most inscrutable person she had ever met.  She had felt so frustrated with him during the coup, Lives were at stake and all he would do was speak in unsolvable riddles and have the nerve to judge her decisions _Isn't that what I'm doing right now?_ she asked herself, maybe it was.. Maybe she was acting that way towards him out of a petulant need for revenge.  It's not that she thought their mission out here wasn't important... she just didn't feel as connected to the cause, she was _tired_ and still hadn't recovered completely from her past adventures.  Is this what her life was going to be like from now on? Constant attempts on her life and The Empire?  is this what her mother had to deal with? She couldn't imagine her mother ever having to deal with anything this surreal.  

 

She sighed and pushed away from the edge overlooking the water - She decided she would head back to the cabin, Tomorrow they would arrive in Karnaca and she would need all the rest she could get.  Taking one last breath of the fresh night air, she made her way back to the cabin,  Coming into the room she found The Outsider laying fast asleep on the mattress - she couldn't help but smile as she approached the bed, she placed the covers gently over him and sat down on the floor, resting her head against the bed frame and willing herself to eventually fall to sleep. 

 

The next morning the pair awoke by the sound of the ship's horn indicating that the ship had arrived at it's destination - Emily sat up rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and feeling the most intense pain in her neck _Why did I have to sleep sitting up?_ she stood and brushed the wrinkles out of her dress, Getting off the boat meant making sure her disguise was in place

 

The Outsider had sat up on the bed, he was awfully quiet - more than normal anyway, Emily grabbed her red wig and placed it over her hair, brushing it lightly to make it fall more realistically "Are you sure you aren't able to just use your little glimmer thing to mask my appearance the whole time we're in the company of Whitmore?" She asked, not looking away from her reflection in the mirror. "Unlikely" He said simply "It draws too much power"  
"You're a god, you would think that would give you unlimited power" She poked at her eyebrows while studying her face 

"One less informed may believe that" He said, Emily turned to look at the God - His hair was disheveled, his shirt was wrinkled and a button was missing from the top, his expression was as usual - completely unreadable _I can't tell if he's upset with me over last night or if he's just acting normally, can he even get sad?_  She crossed to the bed and rubbed absentmindedly at her neck

"What happened to you?" He asked quietly

"Oh, my neck? I slept on the floor... Woke up on the floor too." Emily groaned in pain 

"There is no need for you to do that when there is a perfectly comfortable bed in this cabin." He said simply.  

"Your logic is flawless" She said with a slight smirk "But I didn't want to disturb you." 

"That is impossible" The Outsider said "You do many things Emily Kaldwin, but to disturb me is something you are incapable of" 

Emily turned to him, he was sitting right next to her and was close enough that it made her feel a little nervous "What do you mean by that?" 

"You intrigue me, I find myself to be constantly amazed by the things you say and entranced by the things that you do" He said, no hint of emotion on his face, Emily however felt her face flush and she looked away "You should.. fix your hair"

He rose from the bed, crossing over to the mirror stuck on the wall and he stepped back in a sudden shock 

"What's wrong?" Emily said, rising from the bed herself and coming up behind her dark eyed friend

The Outsider lifted his hand to his face and touched his fingers against his cheek, his nose, Emily rose her eyebrow "Have you never.. _seen_ yourself before?" She asked, still watching his reflection in the mirror

"I... I have" He spoke slowly, calculated, as though he were thinking about each word he said before saying it "but... it has been a very very long time" 

"Is this what I look like?" He asked her softly, Emily grasped his hand in her own "Yes" She answered "For what it's worth, You look fine" He recovered and turned to face her "We should go find Whitmore" He pulled away from her and started smoothing out the wrinkles in his shirt 

Emily sighed "Yeah, and my father" 

"He will not know you are here" He stated firmly "I am sure of that" 

"Okay, get yourself fixed up, I'll get our luggage and we can get off this damn ship" 

"Do you not like travel, Emily Kaldwin?" He asked without looking at her, he seemed to be entranced by the fact that there was a button missing on his shirt 

"It's not that I don't like travel, it just seems that whenever I or anyone I love travels, It's because something horrible either happened or is about to happen."

"Understandable" he continued fiddling with the opening his shirt had without the button, he frowned

"Don't you have another shirt?"  Emily asked 

"The Void does not have markets and shops" He said, looking up at her at last 

Emily rolled her eyes "You're impossible" He responded to this with a small smirk

"Do you have another button?" The Outsider asked, after a moment of fidgeting "It doesn't look right like this."

Emily laughed "Four thousand years old, god of the beyond and he can't handle a missing button" She approached him "Here, I can fix this" 

"Do you need me to remove my shirt?" He asked 

Emily hesitated for a moment before answering "I uh.. I can.. do it, I... It's fine" He cocked his head in a confused manner, Emily waved her hand "I meant I can take it... off" She swallowed hard _Get a hold of yourself_  she thought _it's a damn shirt, just unbutton it and fix it so you can get off this boat_

Emily let her slender fingers work the buttons on his shirt, taking her time unbuttoning each one  _Why are you doing this so slowly? Just get this over with, Why didn't you let HIM do this?_

She gently pushed the shirt off his shoulders and gulped as she brushed her fingers against his bare skin, she quickly pulled the shirt into her arms and turned to lay it out on the bed "It won't be too difficult to fix this" She said "I just need a button and some string." 

"Emily" He said, sitting on the bed beside her and the shirt "Are you uncomfortable or something?"  Emily did not answer, she crossed over to the desk to use her knife and cut a loose string off her dress

"Emily I know you heard me" He spoke again "I would like an answer" 

Emily turned towards him, looking at the floor instead of him "It's very funny to me that you are begging me for an answer when all you ever do is speak in riddles" 

"It's only because I do not want to make you feel uncomfortable" Emily looked up at him "It's nothing" _I am breaking so many strictures and I'm about to be in the company of The High Overseer. He'll be able to smell the heresy on me_ She thought tending back to the shirt and carefully pushing the string through the tiny button hole

"You appear to be very nervous" The Outsider spoke "I don't want it to be me that makes you feel that way" 

"I'm breaking so many strictures" She mused out loud "We're on a boat, soon to be traveling to The Abbey which is full of people who hate those who break the strictures" She said, looking around for a spare button

"Which strictures are you breaking, Emily Kaldwin?" He asked

She looked up at him "What?"

"You heard me, You said you were breaking strictures, You're not a spiritual person. You're a heretic."

Emily chuckled nervously "It's just a joke, I was just... kidding."  

He leaned in closer to her, over the shirt "Is it... restless hands?" He whispered 

Emily shook her head "Stop it, I'm trying to fix this so we can leave the boat" She felt her face flush, The Outsider disappeared from his spot and appeared again right behind her, resting his chin against her shoulder "Was it... _rampant_  hunger?" 

Emily felt tingles down her spine "I know you're a God, but I have beat up many people in the Isles and I will beat you up too if you don't knock it off" 

"I know what it was" He whispered "It was... wanton flesh" Emily listlessly smacked the back of her hand against his face, which made him retreat 

"Do you want your damn shirt fixed or not?" She said, starting to feel irritated with the young God

"I do" He said simply "But I also wish to know what is making The Empress _so_ uncomfortable"

She turned to look at him _he is so pale_  she thought, she approached him and placed her hands on his bare shoulders "You... are... driving... me... insane" She said with a smile "Now will you let me fix your shirt so we can go?" 

He looked up at her, a smile curling over his mouth "Yes, Your _Imperial Majesty_ " 

Emily shoved him playfully and he tripped, falling to the floor "There, now I can focus on this" 

It didn't take Emily long to thread the button onto the shirt, she tightened the string to make sure it didn't fall loose and then she smoothed the shirt out, "There, it's fixed.  Put that on" She turned to help the God up from the floor "Sorry about that" She smiled and handed him his shirt, He raised his eyebrow "Aren't you going to do that for me?" She rolled her eyes "No, I'm going to pack the luggage"

"What a shame" 

Emily choked as she started placing the papers back in the luggage _You can turn around and ask him what that means, you know_  she pushed the thought out of her head, There was no way she was going to do that, she would get herself stuck in an endless cycle of his vague non answers, so she decided to drop it and focus on the task at hand. 

"Are you ready?" The Outsider asked 

"I'm ready" She said, "get that luggage roller, We'll head down and find the Overseer and Corvo, but... you gotta do that glimmer thing for me" He nodded "I will, but I hope you know that it cannot last forever" 

"Nothing ever does" She said and the pair left the room, Emily had a bag swung over her shoulder and was pulling one of the luggage rollers, The Outsider had the other, both of them wearing their disguises and ready for what was to come


	10. Sunrise in Karnaca

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They arrive in Karnaca, Whitmore leads a tour and Emily and The Outsider have a fight so tense that she orders him to leave her alone, forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aww, the couple has their first real fight.
> 
> I'm enjoying writing these two stubborn idiots not admitting their own feelings for each other. This fight leads to a big makeup later on in the story.
> 
> Song is written in the style of Man in the Long Black Coat by Bob Dylan, Great song too.

 

Sometimes the world was a quiet place, very little sound escaped from the dark alleys and the hidden spaces, secrets were best kept in these places.  But the moment The Outsider stepped off the boat and into the Karnaca harbor - everything was loud, blaringly loud.  He heard the thoughts of each person passing by, felt the secrets in their bones and it was all he could do to stay upright.  _It's much more powerful up close than in The Void_ he thought, and though the thought troubled him - He had no time to deal with it as his travel companions came off the boat behind him

"The nice fresh air of Serkonos always brings a smile to my face" Whitmore said, taking a deep breath "What a beautiful place"

"I grew up here" Corvo said, a proudness to his words

"Ah yes that's right" Whitmore said "Has it changed much since you were a lad?" He asked as other disembarking passengers started pushing past them, one woman bumped hard into The Outsider, nearly knocking him back "Watch where you're going, why don't you!" She hissed back at him with her face contorted in anger,  He wasn't sure why he was the one she was angry with when it was her lack of attentiveness that lead to her problem in the first place.

"It's changed" Corvo said "But now that Luca Abele is gone, I think it's going to change for the better here."

Whitmore nodded "What a disaster that was" _Stating the obvious_ The Outsider mused and gave Emily a look out of the corner of his eye "How is your daughter holding up after that mess?" Corvo sighed "I don't know to be honest, she's very tight lipped. Won't share much about her emotions with me, I know she's hiding something"

Whitmore chuckled "My son is the same way, doesn't say anything unless you poke and prod him and even then he'll only tell you to keep from going batty" Corvo half smiled and looked around "Where are we headed first?"

"Well" Whitmore began, turning towards Emily and her dark eyed friend "These two requested a tour of The Abbey here, I think you should go speak with High Overseer Byrne and I will show these fine young citizens around" Corvo nodded "That sounds good, I won't be long with Byrne, I just need to go over these papers with him"

"There is a fine renovated apartment that we can stay at while we are here" Corvo continued "It's right across from The Stilton Mansion, It was in disrepair but after Abele was booted out of the seat of The Duke, constructions and repairs were made"

Whitmore nodded "As long as there's no dust, I'm fine staying anywhere" He turned to his young friends as Corvo headed towards The Abbey "If I'm being honest, I hope we see the street performers, Always such a treat, Such lovely music they have.  Though I don't care for the heretical performances" Emily stiffed a giggle

"Do you wish to see The Abbey first or would you like a tour around the city?" Whitmore asked

Emily spoke up "I would love to see the city, I've never been here before"

"Follow me then! You two are in for such a treat, This is one of the most beautiful serene cities I've had the pleasure of visiting."  He started forward, Emily and The Outsider followed him but the man soon stopped and awkwardly turned his back to them "I-uh.. I feel rather embarased at this slight of information but I never got your names!"

The Outsider shared a look with his wide eyed friend, Who spoke quicker than he thought she would "My name is Clara"  She said with a pause "And his name is Dewitt" She smiled with a small bow

Whitmore returned her bow and gave a smile "It is my pleasure to meet you both"

High Overseer Whitmore took them on a tour around the city, it included going to such places as the now thriving Dust District and the old beautiful bar that used to belong to the gangster Paolo but was now being renovated by The Abbey, The Outsider felt a strangeness in seeing these places that he had once seen before from this new perspective. It brought a feeling to him that he wasn't sure he ever experienced before as well as a tense curiosity coupled with excitement. It seemed the tour had taken ages, with Whitmore constantly stopping to offer his own thoughts about the city, many of them damning the heretical aspects, They were walking down a wide road when they saw a crowed surrounding some performers, As they got closer, The Outsider was able to hear the melody and words

_When dusk sets in  
_

_and The Elders sleep  
_

_They'll take, they'll take from me  
_

_When darkness seeps into the cracks  
_

_They'll take it all from me_

There was one man singing, while the woman was playing a small instrument similar to a violin, The crowed was entranced by the sounds these performers were making, He looked to Emily and it seems she was as well

_And all through the lands  
_

_They travel far and wide  
_

_They need, they crave  
_

_They have something to hide  
_

_A cult of sinners  
_

_A boy on his knees  
_

_They'll take, they'll take it all from me_

Whitmore scoffed "I don't much care for this music, a tad heretical" Emily raised one eyebrow and cleared her through "I think it sounds nice, I don't know why it would be considered heretical, Not to be rude" She said, quickly waving her hand

"Don't worry, I understand you are not trying to be rude with your question, It's an honest question, especially for one whom does not seem to know much about The Abbey.  I must ask you two, Have you heard of The Outsider?" Emily feigned a confused look and shrugged her shoulders

_The darkness was blinding  
_

_The stone was cold  
_

_Though he begged and he pleaded  
_

_They left him alone  
_

_This tale is a tale of the wrongs in the world  
_

_A tale much sadder than any I've told  
_

_They will take, they will take it all from me_

Whitmore indicated a small seating area outside of one of the shops lining the streets "Sit, please" He pulled out chairs for them both "I would like to tell you the story."  _The story the way The Abbey tells it_ The Outsider thought, both slightly amused and slightly irritated "The Outsider" Whitmore began as the music continued behind him as sort of an odd background theme "is a thing of evil... not just evil" He said pausing and appearing to carefully picking his words though The Outsider knew he was merely just reciting everything he had learned prior to joining The Abbey "But chaos.. He exists in the shadows of The Void and he was born out of the darkness and lust that resides in many of the citizens in The Empire."

_Time stood still as the knife went down  
_

_A body goes limp  
_  
_and blood dripped to the ground_

_They will take, they will take his life away  
_

_And when the darkness clouded his eyes  
_

_They have taken his life away_

"That's funny" The Outsider said "I had heard something different"  Whitmore focused his eyes on the boy "Oh, I thought you had never heard of The Abbey?"

"I had not heard much, but I do hear the myths of The Outsider, they exist beyond The Abbey."

Whitmore hesitated "Ah, maybe it was a bit presumptuous of me to assume you had never heard these stories because you are a foreigner"  He smiled sheepishly "What have you heard, my young man?"

The Outsider placed both hands on the table "I heard that what is referred to The Outsider was once a human boy" Whitmore laughed "Yes those stories grow ravenous, especially in places far from The Abbey's reach, I always found those stories to be a bit superstitious.  A human boy? Not the monstrosity that is The Outsider"

The Outsider felt himself getting frustrated with the man's words, He was always capable of emotions, though he never showed them as mortals do and perhaps there were differences that almost made him seem alien, But he was feeling very mortal at this moment

_The men in the masks  
_

_The men with the swords  
_

_They took a boy's life  
_

_a beggar no more_

The song came to a stop and the singers took a deep bow "Thank you" The female singer said with a smile, She and her partner packed up their music sheets and instruments as Whitmore continued to talk about the monstrosities of The Outsider, the darkness he has brought to the world, that the Coup was allowed to happen because of him "If The Outsider hadn't darkly interfered with the world as it is, That mad woman would have never been able to steal the throne and start the coup of Emily Kaldwin"  He sensed Emily become tense near him and he quickly grabbed her wrist under the table, a firm reminder to not fly off the handle - The singers walked past them when The Outsider held up a finger to Whitmore "Excuse me for a moment Sir" He said "Excuse me, singing folk"  He said, pushing away from the table and coming to shake the hands of the street performers "I was wondering, where do you get the inspiration for your music?"

The lady smiled and took his hand, apparently un-phased by it's icy chill "We take a little inspiration from everything, that last song was a story we heard passed down from generation to generation, About a mystical ritual that created The Void and it's guardian" The man behind her nodded, he spoke "Current events also help inspire us" He said "Though not a lot of our folk songs 'bout The Outsider are current"  He said with a small chuckle,  The Outsider turned back to the table and saw Whitmore's face had become white, his hands balled into fists

"I honestly find this to be very offensive" He stood from the table "I will retire to the Dust District" He said "Farewell"  He strode off in a huff

Emily tried to stop herself from laughing and the female singer scratched her head in confusion "Did we do something to upset that man?"

The Outsider took her hand gently "He doesn't like your heretical music" The man guffawed "Ah yeah that was one of them Overseers of The Abbey, We love performing for them, They like our music until we get to our stories of The Outsider. They do not like those" 

Emily giggled at the table

"I can't imagine that they would" He said, a small smile creeping over his lips as he released the woman's hand "Thank you for speaking with me, Your music is absolutely wonderful.  Never stop performing for anyone" He bowed deeply, as the two singers departed he slumped back into his chair near Emily

"He left before taking us to The Abbey" The Outsider said

"Pointing out the obvious, one of your strongest talents" She smiled

"We need an alternate plan, _Clara_ " He chuckled

"Hey" Emily said defensively "Clara and Dewitt are the names of beautiful characters within fiction!"

The Outsider took her hand "I am not mocking you, Emily" The pair sat there for moments in silence as they watched this small corner of the city.  "We need an alternate plan."

"Well if you hadn't of pissed off Whitmore, we wouldn't need to figure out something else, You know, for a God you have very little self control"

"I do have self control Emily, I exercise it within your presence quite a lot.  Though you are never insulting my existence"

Emily put her hand on his cheek "He's wrong, you know.. You're not all darkness and evil deeds."

He looked towards her and cocked his head "You think so?"

"You are much more than that, you are a thing of sorrow and beauty" She sighed, looking into his eyes "I think I'm spending too much time around you" She said with a laugh "I"m starting to speak in prose"

"I don't mind" He said, rising from the table "Would your Majesty enjoy a walk around?"  He offered his hand and she gently grasped onto it and let him help her from her seat, she bent over and kissed him gently on the back of his hand 

She looked up at him with a smile "I've always wanted to do that" _Do not stare into her eyes_  he thought _Get distance between you two, you are too close_ He pulled away from her a little bit, she cocked her head "Uh, black eyed boy?" She said - he turned "Yes your majesty?"

"What's uh... what's the matter?" She asked

"There is nothing the matter" He answered simply "We shall get going now" He walked ahead of her and didn't wait for her to catch up "Hey!" She yelled after him "Whats your problem?" she said between gasps of breath from a half fast walk, a half run to catch up with him "You didn't even wait for me" 

"You are very astute" He said, continuing his pace 

Emily grabbed his hand to stop him "Wait" She said, pulling him closer to her "Did I do something?" 

"You do many things, Miss Kaldwin" He pulled out of her grasp and continued walking, she along side him "You kiss me, you take off my clothes, you brush your fingers against my neck,  All of these things point to the conclusion that you are attracted to me.  And yet, you act as if that is not true" 

Emily gulped "And that bothers you?"

He stopped walking and looked at her "I do not like dishonesty, _Emily Kaldwin_ " He hissed her name as quietly as possible "You act in one way and it is clearly the way you truly feel but you deny it every chance you get, I do not understand why" 

Emily cleared her throat "Am I the only one guilty here?" She asked "Do you not do the same thing?" She gave him a look that almost dared him to look away, She grabbed at his shirt collar "Because I seem to recall a certain boy who continues to flirt with me, _tease_  me and find any chance to put his hands against my skin" He gulped "So do not tell me that _you_  aren't guilty of the same crimes." She loosened her grip on him but still remained so close he could feel her warm breath against his skin "I do not know what you are talking about Emily"

Emily rolled her eyes "You know exactly what I'm talking about, I'm not an idiot, if you lie to me right now.. You're going to break my heart" 

He bit his bottom lip "I don't know" He said softly with no hesitation

Emily pushed him away, feeling tears starting to well up in her eyes and struggling to keep them at bay "Of course, how could I possibly expect _you_  to ever _feel_  anything. You're not even human." 

Emily had her back turned to him, so she was incapable of seeing the effect her words had on him, He felt a heaviness in his chest and he closed his eyes "You do not mean that, Emily" He said, his voice steady

"No" She began, "I do" She turned back towards him and looked him in the eyes, deep, black and endless "I want you to go back to The Void, Leave this place, Leave me"

"What about stopping whoever has this artifact?" He asked

"I will do it on my own!" Emily almost shouted "I was fine before you EVER came into my life, and I will be fine when you leave it."

Her words felt like a physical pain as she stood there, her hands balled into fists and the wind catching around them

"If that is what you wish" 

"I have one more request" She said, anger in her throat "Yes?" He asked, his voice starting to shake, he was unable to look at her any longer and he looked down 

"I don't want you to watch me, don't ever look into my life again." Emily took a deep breath "Do you understand?"

He closed his eyes "Yes, your Majesty." He took one last look at her and disappeared into a black cloud of smoke


	11. The Devil's Backbone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily struggles to make a plan to avoid Whitmore and Corvo discovering her identity without The Outsider's helpful glimmer to mask her face, and a story is being told from a dark time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Outsider's Flashbacks were originally going to be part of a one shot fic but I decided they would fit better to separate between the Emily/Outsider focus chapters. 
> 
> Father Creely is a reference to Gotham, if anyone caught that, I love you.

Emily stood there in the middle of a no longer crowded street, the people who had been watching the performers had dispersed except for one woman who had been leaning against the opening of a shop, this woman approached Emily

"Hey there" She said, her voice sounded like what Emily imagined a butterfly's voice would sound if they could speak, soft, light and comforting "What was that all about?"  She asked

Emily felt herself becoming nervous, _what if she saw him disappearing into nothingness?  
_

"W-what?" She stuttered

"Well I heard some racket from inside my shop" she jabbed her finger over her shoulder at the building "Sounded like a fight, so I came out here to check it out and I see you standing alone in the middle of the street."

Emily felt her heart slow down _She didn't see anything, thank the void_ She balled her hand into a fist _What has The Void ever done for me?_

"I.. I don't really want to talk about it"  Emily crossed back to the tables and slouched down into a chair, the woman sat in the chair across from her, She ran a hand through her silky brown hair which was just above shoulder length

"Fair enough" She said, extending out her hand to shake Emily's "The name is Gertrude Frain" She said with a smile "What's yours?"

Emily took the woman's hand and shook it "Clara is my name"

"Oh no last name I take it?"  Gertrude said with a slight chuckle, Emily laughed as well "I'm sorry, It's Clara Clarence"

"So are you a native of Karnaca or you just visiting?" Getrude inquired

"I'm here on a trip"

"With your boyfriend?" Emily waved her hand to dismiss the comment "No no no, He's... not.. my boyfriend."

"But you were fighting with a boy out here huh?" Gertrude hesitated "I'm sorry, I don't mean to butt in, I'm a little nosy, I love Karnaca but there ain't nothing ever going on here and when something happens I tend to get a little over-invested"

Emily smiled "I understand completely, and no I don't.. mind it."  She sighed "Yeah, I was arguing with a boy out here"  _a four thousand year old boy, who acts like a child_ She thought

Gertrude smiled and raised her eyebrow "You like this boy?" she asked with a head tilt _  
_

_"_ No" Emily said, a little firmer than she intended

Gertrude chuckled "Shame, I only saw the back of him through that window there" She looked over to her shop "But he looked like a fun time"

Emily almost choked, she recovered quickly and rose from the table "Well, Gertrude.. It was a pleasure meeting you, but I must be heading out"

Gertrude pushed herself out of her seat "Ah, yeah I should head back to my shop. Nobody else is there." She started to walk away from Emily and then turned back "Good luck with your boyfriend, hope you two make up, and make out.. am I right?" She laughed raucously as she went back into her shop

Emily heaved a sigh _What would he say to that?_ She thought _He'd probably feign not hearing it, like he does everything else._ Emily headed towards the Dust District to find Whitmore, She needed to figure a way to hide her identity better now that she couldn't rely on The Outsider's glimmer.

  
  
* * * *  

  

 

 

It happened at night in a small broken city, a city that had seen darkness for a very long time.  This event would shake through the core of the entire world and beyond for the rest of days.   Many young children survived on the streets with nothing but the clothes on their back and a penchant for begging, One of these children was the perfect target for the plans. 

The man exhaled, his breath appearing in the air in front of him, It was the Month of Darkness and rain was gently drizzling down from the sky, Night time was a wonderful cover for the crimes about to take place

"It's quiet" The woman next to him spoke "A little too quiet, won't anyone hear him screaming?"

"They might" The man said simply "But nobody will do anything.  He's a child of the street."  This seemed to assure the woman as she asked no follow up questions.

They sit in the darkness and they wait, this is what they have done for as long as they can remember, But this time would be everything they had ever dreamed of coming to fruition.  After all the endless searching, They finally found the right person for the ritual.  

He was a young boy, no older than fifteen years old with jet black hair and a fringe that gently rested against his forehead, He was born under the right stars and in the right month.   He was perfect.

After what seemed ages, the time was here as the young man's footsteps gently echoed down the empty street, The man smiled and signaled his partner "It's time" He whispered.  The woman jumped out from the darkness, doubled over in what would appear as pain to the simple onlooker.  She was pretending to cry as an attempt to distract the boy,  The man watched from the shadows as the boy ran to her side "Are you okay!?" He said, his voice filled with concern

What a nice young man he was, but it wouldn't last, They would take that from him by the end of this night.  Once the main thought the boy was distracted enough, he came out of the shadows behind him and he walked with purpose, coming up behind the boy and grabbing him by his jacket, he pressed his arm against the boys neck and waited "Don't worry young man"  He said with a smile "This won't hurt at all" He watched the boy's eyes fill with fear as he tried to fight off his assailant "But what comes next?"  The man whispered threateningly "That is going to be the most painful of all... They are going to kill you."  The boy's eyes widened and he started to kick at the man

"That's taking an awfully long time."  The woman spoke, getting up from the ground and brushing off a long hooded cloaked robe, perfect for this weather.

"The kid has a lot of resolve" the man said, applying more pressure to the young mans neck as he continued trying to struggle and fight "But not a lot of physical strength"  The man yawned and shoved the boy to the ground

"We're going to have to take him conscious" He said

"But he'll put up a fight" The woman piped up

"That's half the fun"  The man said, a devious smile playing over his lips, he rolled his eyes as he spotted the young man trying to crawl away "Tut tut tut" He grabbed the boy's feet, pulling off the ragged socks he had been wearing "No, we don't.  We've waited too long for this to let you get away, Come with us or you'll die a lot sooner and a lot more bloodier"

The woman laughed "How can it get bloodier than that?!"

"I have my ways" The boy breathlessly tried to push himself away from the man's grip but he was too weak, the man flipped him over "Stand up young man, Let me get a good look at you" He said, he let go of him and the boy reluctantly stood, The man grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him a little closer, "Such a shame" He said, almost mockingly "That a life has to be wasted"

The boy closed his eyes, his breathing heavy and ragged "Why... are you.." He began, his voice weak

"Why?" The man said "Because there is something that must happen, my young man.  And _you_ are a part of it. Don't be selfish now"

"Tell him about the ritual" the woman laughed

"Ah yes the ritual" He grabbed a coil of rope from his buckled overcoat, He tied the boy's wrists tightly together "We're going to walk and talk, my brave young man"

  
* * * * 

 

 

 

Emily had trouble rolling all of her luggage to the small apartment that was across from the Stilton Mannor, Where she had met with Megan Foster - Billie Lurk, over a year ago during the coup on the throne, She leaned the luggage against the door and ducked down to the stairs, searching through the luggage for something to help her hide her identity, She found a black hood and a long silk shawl she could wrap around her face, placing both of them on she figured this would be enough to ward off suspicion while she did her research on the knife.  

 She didn't plan on interacting with Whitmore more than she had to, and if she was lucky, he'd never look her directly in the face again, She needed to get in The Abbey and out without anyone noticing who she was, Lucky for her she had not only the power of stealth and quiet taught to her by her father, but the powers granted to her by The Outsider, she turned her hand around and pulled off the glove she had been using to hide the mark, only to find that her mark had dimmed considerably.  Her face contorted in confusion "Huh?" She whispered, brushing her hands gently over the fading mark.

She bit her lip "No powers?" She said out loud "What in the void..."  She hastily placed the glove back on as High Overseer Whitmore was coming out of the apartment, she stepped out to meet him "Sir" she said, Whitmore looked up at her "Hello?" He asked, looking rather taken aback

"It's Clara, sir" She bowed "I just wanted to apologize for my ...friend's behavior earlier.  He's usually not like that" 

"There are times when all of can be a little bit unsettled" Whitmore said "Best not to worry too much about it" He smiled "Where is your friend?" 

"He uh... he left" She shrugged 

"He left?  Well why don't we go him?" 

"I honestly don't think that's needed" She said quickly "He'll come around, He's just.. he needs some time" 

 * * * * 

 

 

 

"It is time" a voice said softly, The Boy was being dragged by the two assailants up stone steps, He was blindfolded and his wrists were tied. the soft voice belonged to a third man who was standing atop the stone stairs. 

"You have found him and brought him to me" The man's voice echoed around the boy "This is the beginning of something beautiful."    
The Boy felt his blindfold being pulled off and he was overwhelmed with the brightness of the room, what looked like hundreds of candles were lit all throughout the old abandoned cathedral

"I assume you have lots of questions" The cloaked man said, stepping down from the dais "Take a seat" He waved his hand around indicating the many seating areas "Undo his hands, please" 

"What?" The female assailant spoke "What if he tries to run away?" 

"He won't" The man said "Will you, Son?" 

The Boy looked at the man, defiantly keeping quiet 

"Now now" The Cloaked Man approached him and grasped his face, His fingers long and bony "I asked you a question, Son.  Will you answer?" 

The Boy looked away from the man, saying nothing

"This one is vexing me" The Man growled 

"Father Creely" The male assailant said "What do you wish us to do?" 

"Make him speak, Brother Thom" Father Creely said, turning away from the young man "Sit him down in that chair over there and make him speak" He crossed to a window, looking out over the dark city

Brother Thom ushered the young boy to a chair lined with candles, he pushed the boy roughly into the chair, knocking one of the many candles to the floor "Talk." He said, The Boy responded by spitting in the mans face

"That is _very_ disrespectful, young man" Thom said, wiping the saliva from his eyes

"You _kidnapped_  me" The Boy spat, as much venom as fear in his words 

"You do not understand, child" Thom said, leaning in close to the young man "This is not your end, this is your _salvation"_

The young man stared at his captor "I could escape.." He said, breathlessly "I could run and.."  Tears started to well up in his eyes 

"You can't escape this my young child" Thom said, placing his hands on the boy's shoulders "This is your destiny." He turned around "Father Creely, I think he's ready to speak with you" 

Father Creely crossed the room "Thank you Thom" He gentle patted the man on the shoulder and approached the young boy "What is your name young man?"

The Boy looked at the man, untethered fear in his eyes unlike anything he had ever experienced before "Why does it matter?" He asked, his voice shaking "You're just going to kill me" 

"I suppose your right" Creely said with a smile "Do you want to know a story, my dear young man?" 

He put his finger against the boy's cheek "There are signs in the world, darkness that you can't imagine, But you will, You will see it all."  The Boy's breathing started becoming faster "You will see the horrors of the world in ways you never thought possible" Creely smiled "And it is going to be the salvation of all mankind."

"You're insane!" The boy whispered, tears streaming down his face "Please, I don't know why you are doing this.. but please.. _please_  let me go" He begged

"I cannot do that young man, All of the signs pointed to _you_ " 

"I don't know what that means!" 

Creely straightened up and took a deep breath "Cage him up, we aren't ready yet. There are still things we need to tend to for the ritual" 

The assailants each grabbed one of the boy's arms, ushering him up from the chair "What?" He shouted "Where are you taking me?!" His screams echoed throughout the cathedral as the two took him down to a dingy and dark basement, It was here that they threw him into a cage built from what appeared to be bone 

"You will stay there as long as Father Creely wishes, We will prepare you for the ritual when the time is right" Thom said as he and his partner walked back up the stairs

The Boy sat against the bone bars of the cage, his head spinning and tears still drying on his cheeks.  It was completely dark in the basement save a sliver of moonlight that reflected in the whites of his eyes. 

 

* * * * 

 

 

 

Emily needed to figure out how to get around Karnaca without Whitmore becoming suspicious of her actions, She had spent about fifteen minutes arguing with him that she did not need to stay in the apartments in the Dust District with he and his companion, She fed him a story that she had heard there were places elsewhere she could stay the night and that she would hate to distract him from his task here in Karnaca,  Eventually, he agreed and she was off to a small and abandoned apartment that she had found last year, Lucky for her it was still abandoned and the back window was stuck open, she shoved her luggage roughly through the window and hopped in.

The apartment was near a small cave opening by the mountains, she had found a shrine there when she was here in Karnaca before.  She dropped her bag and looked at her hand _lot of good that does me now_  she sighed and sat on her luggage bag.   She needed to light candles before dark but she'd still have time yet to do that before the sun went down,  This had been her first moment to relax since she got here.  Whitmore insisted on looking down the streets and at all the shops for her friend, politely dismissing every time she said she didn't think it was worth all the fuss, She had a sneaking suspicion that Whitmore had his own ideas on what finding her "friend" would mean.   _Giving him a good tongue lashing for daring to speak in such ways to The High Overseer, for one_ She thought, and then chuckled

Luck had been on her side a little bit today though, She mused as she crossed over to the window, which was caked in dust - Whitmore didn't seem to notice the changes in her speaking or her looks, which she knew for a fact Corvo would notice immediately, Luckily his meeting with Liam Byrne had been pushed back and Corvo had been stuck at The Abbey most of the morning and mid afternoon, it was almost close to evening now and she supposed he would be back with High Overseer Whitmore, going over the information found out today.  Emily bit her lip _I should be finding out information_  she thought, irritated as she brought her hand up to her eyes.  She once again removed the glove from her hand, gave the fading mark a look and then replaced the glove back onto her pale hand.

She knew she was capable of doing anything without her powers, but she also knew that doing these things without getting caught sans powers was nearly impossible, If Whitmore or Corvo found out who she was, there would be utter chaos.  She'd be branded a traitor or a spy and maybe even charged with interfering with Abbey business.  She put her gloved hands to her face and took a deep breath.   The room was humming with late afternoon garden bugs hovering loudly just outside the windows, she sat back on her luggage bag, feeling tired and alone.

 

 

* * * * 

 

 

 The Boy had been caged for many days or perhaps even longer, he had lost all sense of time and during his second night there the cultists who kidnapped him blindfolded him, occasionally bringing word of them closer to the ritual.  The young man had no desire to stick around and find out what they were going to do, He knew if he could just get to the window, he might be able to get it open and shout for help. There weren't many cathedrals, run down or not in this city, There were bound to be some people who would be able to hear him.  Someone who would save him.  He had to remain hopeful

Hope seemed dismal and far away, he leaned against the bone bars of his cage, his hands tightly bound in front of him and the blindfold tight enough over his eyes that he wasn't able to shake it loose,  He had tried for many days with the result being the blindfold stuck in place.  He took a deep breath, he had done a good job of keeping calm down here in this cage, They weren't feeding him or letting him have water and they kept making allusions to this ritual.. 

He heard noises, someone was coming downstairs.. He shifted his attention to the noise "You've been quiet" a woman's voice, it was one of the people who had kidnapped him from the alley "Have nothing to say or have you been struck mute with fear?"

"I don't have anything to say to you _monsters_ " He said, his voice hoarse from not speaking in as many days

The woman chuckled "Well I have some good news, young child"  She said, her voice sounding even but ominous "We aren't as monstrous as you think we are, We have decided to spare you" 

The Boy felt the heaviness on his chest let go a little bit "What?" He asked

"Yes, Father Creely has decided that you are more useful to us alive and has asked me to bring you to him as you are" She unlocked and opened the cage, reaching for his wrist "Come with me, son.  You are safe with us, we will not hurt you" 

Hope may have been dismal and far away, but the young man felt hope with each step he took up those stairs, the cold stone against his bare feet would be one of the last things he remembered of this life. 

She removed his blindfold and led him to a large dining room where Father Creely was seated, there was food laid out on the table in such an extravagant display that the young man gasped "Care to sit and join me for dinner?" Creely asked, he nodded to the woman "Please, release him from those ropes." She complied and led him to a seat on the right hand side of the table, next to Father Creely 

"You may leave us now" He said to the woman, she took her leave with a small bow

"I suppose you are wondering what has made me change my mind" Creely said aloud after a few moments silence "You see, you have tenacity, You have been through so much already in your young life and you still have _hope_  in the goodness of others and the goodness of this life.  That is admirable!" He said, taking a sip of what appeared to be blood, but was probably wine of some sort

"I believed in the goodness of others" He said, speaking slow and taking the time to eye the table "And I would like to continue that.. But why have you brought me here?"

"You will become a powerful alley in a time of need.  Do you not see the corruption in this world, my young brave man?" The Boy nodded "I do.."

"I... all of us here, our mission is simple, we want to fight the darkness.  But we cannot do this alone.  There are simply too many signs that point to you being our salvation that we cannot ignore it." Creely took another sip of his wine

"I do not understand" He said, eyeing the food on the table 

"Oh my dear young child, in time you will come to understand it all.  But before that time comes, Please.. Eat! You must be starving" 

The Boy looked up at Father Creely "I am."

"Well eat up! We prepared all of this for you" He said, taking yet another sip of his wine

"For me?" The Boy said, his expression surprised

"Yes, yes. Eat up now" 

The Boy heeded Father Creely's advice and took bread from the table, ripping off small chucks and shoving them into his mouth.  It had been so very long since he had eaten and even longer since had a good meal, His home was always filled with the smell of moldy and rotten food and his father was a drunkard who did little to care about the state of the house, let alone the state of his child, He grabbed as much of the food as he could reach, not even caring what it was. He was starved, completely starved, and it seemed like nothing would ever fill the void within his stomach. 

The Boy shoved food into his mouth, not caring about manners or anything of the sort, he finally felt like he could not eat any more and he slumped back into his chair, breathing heavily from his nose and wiping food stains off on his dirty street clothes

"Now young man, I have a question for you" Creely asked "What is it you want in this life?  You are young, you are poor.. an outcast, are you?"

The Boy looked down sadly "Yes Sir, I am.. an outcast" 

"My dear boy, there's nothing to be ashamed of. Sometimes we are all outcasts in this life.  Outsiders to the world who feel as though they do not belong." Creely spoke while swirling the wine in his chalice

"But what if I could help you? Save you?" He offered 

"What do you mean?" The boy asked

"I could offer you money, I could help you find a home.  Do you have family to speak of?" 

The Boy looked away uncomfortably "My.. mother is passed" 

"And what of your father?" Creely pressed

"He is a drunkard, he does not care for me and he is one of the reasons I live out on the streets most nights.  He gets angry and I have to leave." 

Creely frowned "That will simply not do, my young man"  He shook his head "Never anything sadder than a parent who does not do right by their child. My earnest apologies for your situation, and my earnest apologies for this ordeal.  My intention was never to hurt you"

"I forgive you, Father Creely" The Boy said, an uneasy smile

"I will make certain that your life becomes much easier from here on, my son." Creely put a hand on The Boy's shoulder and looked into his eyes, green eyes specked with the lightest of brown "You will live a happy life, I promise you that your life will never be this way again" Father Creely said with a smile

The moments following were played in slow motion, Father Creely had taken the boy from the table and was leading him to his salvation, But the boy soon found that salvation was not in his future, They had tricked him and were tightly binding him to a chair, candles were placed on the floor where several cultists were chanting with their eyes closed.  The Boy struggled against the ropes as the cultists continued chanting, drawing magic symbols on the floor...

"The day has arrived! Now shall we venture beyond the spheres! Now shall we complete our destiny!" Father Creely shouted to the room, the cultists continued their chants "We are almost at the precipice of change, my dear boy" Creely said, leaning close to the young man "But we need to do a few things first"  He turned to one of the hooded figures and leaned to whisper 

The Boy did not catch what they were whispering about, but the cultist had left the room and returned with a small sack of pigment and some clean water, The Boy did not know what this was for - But he would soon find out - Father Creely watched as the men drew sigils on the floor, as the others chanted and as two of them made a paint mixture, the color of onyx, a hard mixture to make but something he was boastful of as was indicated by his smile.  After what seemed forever, the mixing was finished, and the cultists rose with a black mixture that looked as inky as the night sky "I am so sorry to do this young man" Creely said, no hint of remorse in his voice as he approached the young boy "But this is what it takes"

The Boy closed his eyes "I will get out of here" He said, his voice trembling

"No my dear child, the time for that is over." 

"Why did you do this.. Why did you lie to me?" 

"We needed to make you believe that we were _good_  but misguided people, We needed you to be hopeful.  It hits so much harder when you know that you completely powerless."  The Boy swallowed hard and bit his lower lip so hard that he started bleeding. Creely eyed him "Ah ah ah" He said, wagging his finger "No blood spilt" 

The chanting grew louder, the sigils started to glow "Ah yes, everything is falling into place, Now the final touches" He stuck his finger into the inky black paint mixture and then he leaned over The Boy, forcing his eyes open with one hand and partially painting his eyeballs with the other. 

The Boy's screams were loud, loud enough to drown out the sound of the chanting around them, but it would not be the loudest scream heard that night

Fear was coursing through his veins but he was still hopeful, he still held onto that, somebody would save him, something would happen and he would be able to escape. 

He could not see what was happening in front of him, but he felt hands grabbing him, hundreds of hands pinching his flesh and tampering with his clothes, he felt the wetness of the paint mixture on his pants, his jacket and in his hair as two cultists each grabbed one of his arms and hoisted him free of the ropes.

He was being taken somewhere new, He could partially see through the mixture on his eyes, The magic had summoned some sort of portal and the cultists were carrying him through it. 

Crossing through the portal drained all the energy out of him, he felt his bones were on fire, a darkness coursing all around him and a faint metallic smell burning his nostrils, They continued for a while, The Boy noticed that where ever they were, it was not normal, there were floating islands of dark rock and a swirling blackness beneath his feet.  Nobody spoke until they brought him to his final destination, an altar surrounded by candles, the cultists shoved The Boy down, he tried to fight them but there were too many and they overpowered him - They tied him once more, the stone altar was cold against his skin even through his clothes, "No!" He screamed, finding his voice again "No _please!"_

"It is your destiny" Father Creely said, The cultists took their positions standing in a row on each side of the small rock island, broken and cursed trees above them and below them, twisting into nothingness.  The Boy could not see very much, but he saw the cultists standing there as still as stone and they began to chant

Father Creely was positioned at the head of the altar, The Boy looked up and his eyes widened in fear when he saw it, a knife made from bronze, two terrifying sharp blades, He struggled against the ropes, fighting against his bindings and so certain that he could make it, he could break the ropes and get away, run back to the portal and find somebody to help him, to save him.  Father Creely was wiping the knife off with a cloth while the chanting of the cultists continued.

The Boy started to waver, his arms felt tired and heavy and he slumped back in defeat, as he went limp, Father Creely brought the sharp twin bladed knife down onto his throat, cutting through it easily, blood started to pour out from his neck and he felt sick, he felt dizzy, he was certain that he would throw up right here but his body was so weak from all the fighting and the blood loss, he felt tears run down his cheeks with the paint mixture. The hardest thing about hope is when you lose it. 

The boy's eyes rolled back into his head as the blood flowed freely from his neck, The young boy died on that altar, the cultists continued chanting and Father Creely breathing heavily with the knife still in his hands, blood dripping from it "Did it work?" He asked the air around him,  His question was answered in the form of a blood curdling scream when the boy on the altar was awoken with horrible flashes of possible futures, death, famine, plague and many more. He saw so much, he saw his own death on that altar, he saw the knife held by the man who murdered him and he felt the power of this place coursing through his entire being, The Boy screamed, he screamed at the top of his lungs and he thought that his breath would run out, but he just kept screaming.

These were the screams that cracked the world into pieces, the blinding magic that it took to perform this ritual cracked the world in places that would never recover, these were the screams heard throughout the night all over the world

A boy who was once a beggar living on the streets slumped back onto the altar, He  finally stopped screaming but the echos remained and he laid there in absolute horror with his pitch black eyes wide open. 

 


	12. C'est la vie, C'est la mort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily runs into danger, and it ends up propelling her and her father in the same direction. The Outsider does something unexpected to stop what is coming and save Emily.

Emily had fallen asleep laying against her luggage and when she woke, it was pitch black outside, she groggily searched through her bags to find candles and struggled to light them in the dark _this would have been easier had i done it before sunrise, as I had planned_ she scolded herself.  It wasn't easy, but soon she had candles lit and congregated in the middle of the room, She decided to spread them out to increase the rooms light.

There was a knock on the door that gave Emily quite a start, she carefully walked towards her luggage to retrieve a weapon when the mysterious visitor spoke outside the door "Hey, It's Gertrude" Emily breathed a sigh of relief and opened the door, Gertrude stood there with her hair down and a hat covering the top of her head 

"How did you know I was here?" Emily asked

"I'm.. I'm sorry, I followed you a bit" Gertrude confessed

"You followed me?!" Emily's body started to tense

"Well it's just uh.. You're going to think I'm crazy and It probably aint what happened but I haven't been able to stop thinking about it all day since I saw it, and I gotta tell someone."  She twiddled her thumbs together "May I come in?" 

Emily paused "What did you see?"  

"I think I just need a right bit of sleep"  She chuckled nervously "Because it's not possible, What I saw..." 

Emily put her hands on the woman's shoulders and shook her "What did you see!?" She said firmly, trying to keep her voice below a shout

"Handsome boys don't disappear into black smoke, not around here"  She said, her expression one of fear and confusion

Emily's eyes betrayed her own fear _She saw him, what if she tells someone? what if she finds Whitmore and tells him!?_ Emily's thoughts raced "Get in here" she said, pulling the girl into the house and slamming the door 

"So it did happen, huh?"  Gertrude said, her voice shaking  "I've seen a lot of strange things in the world, they was saying that Delilah that stole the throne in Dunwall last year was a witch, I ain't believed a word of it but I saw with my own two eyes a boy disappearing into nothing. That doesn't happen" 

Emily closed her eyes in frustration "Just calm down Gertrude" 

Gertrude sat on Emily's luggage, trying to steady her breathing "What the hell" She said "Is he even human?" 

Gertrude's anxiety was pushing Emily over the edge "You can't tell anyone what you saw"  She said, crouching down in front of Gertrude "You _can't_ " 

"Why is that?" Gertrude asked "I saw a thing nobody sees, you don't understand what that means" 

Emily felt a chill run down her spine as she saw the woman's eyes change color "W-what?"  She asked, feeling her voice start to waver "What... do you mean?" 

Gertrude started to laugh, a quiet and dark laugh that chilled Emily to the bones "We finally found him" She threw her head back and laughed louder "We found him and we _will_ destroy him _"_ She leapt up, lunging to attack Emily but Emily was quicker and rolled out of the way, knocking over an unlit candle in the process

"Found who?" Emily asked, trying to avoid the mad woman's attacks, Gertrude grabbed a lit candle and readied herself to throw it at Emily "The Outsider" She giggled "We're going to destroy him, We're going to fix what he broke" She cocked her head and threw the candle,  Emily ducked and an ember from the wick flew into the curtain, starting to smoke it at the bottom

Emily quickly got to her feet and dived for her luggage, she grabbed her knife and held it in front of her threateningly "Don't come any closer, Gertrude"  She warned, One hand holding the knife and the other hand by her side - Gertrude scanned her surroundings and then looked back to Emily "Hey" She said smiling "Nice tattoo you got there" Emily looked down at her mark, which was glowing bright blue,  She willed herself to feel The Void within her and closing her eyes, she called on the power.  It felt as though all the air had been knocked out of her body but right in front of her was a monstrous construction, it looked like shards of rock moving inwards and outwards like breathing, Gertrude was entranced by this and her eyes were glazed over completely.  Emily took this moment to grab her bag, open her wheeled luggage carriers and move anything she needed from the two of them to the one bag 

_"I don't know how to feel"_ Gertrude's voice rang out eerily behind her _"I can see nothing, I can see it all"_ Emily hoped that her power would hold and she'd be able to get out of there in one piece, she pushed her papers into her duffel bag, making a crunching sound and she zipped it up, swinging it over her shoulder and leaving the other luggage and what was left of it, on the floor near Gertrude who was still entranced by The Void

" _I see darkness, I see destruction. I am so ashamed._ "  Emily shivered and left the small abandoned apartment, wanting to put as much space between her and Gertrude as possible, She had no idea where she would stay tonight, but it had to be far from here.

 

 

*** * * *  
**

The Outsider was staring at his pale hands, He turned his hand over several times and it felt heavy.   When he was feeling a particular lack of entertainment within The Void, something that would occur often, He found himself watching the world outside, watching people living their quiet little lives.  He had been watching over a small child who was sitting up against an alley wall and crying, having just been shoved by larger children and taunted, he couldn't focus on anything, there seemed to be a lack of energy within The Void, he couldn't figure out why but it made him uneasy. 

_It feels as though something is missing_ He thought, he drifted aimlessly through the darkness of The Void. There was nowhere in this place that felt like home to him, He never had a reference for the feeling of home and he was rather curious what it would feel like, a home.   

 

He was always disconnected from humanity, even the people he had marked throughout the ages, There was never a moment where he expected more, or where he even wanted more.  When he was alive he had never forged those kind of relationships and there was a part of him deep down that had something akin to regret. he may never know what the feeling of home is like but he knew that there was a contentment in familiarity.  He was incapable of not being content where he was, because the moment he stopped being content, he would become afraid.  

But there was a tug at him, very deep into his existence there was a pull that made him want to reach forward, There was a very deep part of him that craved a connection, that craved touch and companionship. He drew his hand through the air and black smoke followed, curling around his fingers, He closed his eyes

He did not dream, but he did see things when he closed his eyes,  And all he saw was the face of a young Empress.

 

 

*** * * ***

 

Emily found herself crawling through a hidden passage in Aramis Stilton's mansion, She had made her way carefully from the apartment to sneak in and decided to lay low for a while, She knew this place like the back of her hand thanks to traveling back and forth through time in it last year.  

She knew that there was a small crawl space that lead to a secret room, she would be able to stay there undetected for as long as she could be quiet, to make sure the cleaning staff didn't hear her.   She reached the room, she almost wasn't able to push her luggage bag through the crawl space but with a bit a bit of strength and extra exertion, she managed to get it through,  It tumbled down and made a soft thud on the floor.  She jumped down after it and caught a glimpse of her hand, the mark was faded even more, she brushed her fingers over it _what is going on with my powers?_ She stood up and drug the heavy bag over to the corner and opened it up, she started to unpack her items and setting them around the room.

 

She expected it to happen, a shadow appearing behind her, the whoosh of his arrival,  But it never came and she found herself strangely disappointed, It hadn't even been a day and she felt the weight of him not being there with her.  It wasn't as though she were incapable of handling this without him, but she rather wished he was by her side,  Maybe she was just scared after her encounter with Gertrude. _what was she talking about? Destroy The Outsider?_ Emily sighed and rubbed her temples, She would lay low here, get some rest and figure out her next move the next morning.

 

The following day, Emily awoke early and crawled through the tunnel, she kept to the shadows of the Stilton entrance and she saw Whitmore sitting out on the stairs of the apartment across from her _Ah crap_  she thought _What if he sees me?_   She watched him for what felt like forever

 

She took a deep breath and let it out through pursed lips, she was so focused on Whitmore that she hadn't noticed the man behind her "I am expecting a very good excuse for why you are here" the voice of her father said behind her in a gruff whisper, Emily stiffened and turned around slowly - she cleared her throat lightly "How long have you known?"  
"Moment I saw you" He said, barely concealing a grin playing on his scruffy face, Emily felt her stomach drop as fears twirled around her mind "I'm not as oblivious as you think I am, Emily" He said, indicating that they should move "Lets go for a walk" Emily and him rose from their dark hiding place and walked up the street as Whitmore had gone back inside the rented apartment  
Emily was feeling a little bit silly not to have expected her father to notice who she was, he always seemed to know everything, even the things she tried to keep concealed from him.  hopefully not everything, she thought to herself  
They walked through a street by the shops, people sitting outside in the chairs speaking to each other, small children playing with others, the early morning karnacan sun shining brillantly in the sky, Corvo motioned for them to take a seat at the very table she had been at with Whitmore and The Outsider the previous day, he sat across from her and put his hands on the table  
"Emily, why are you here?"  
Emily bit her lip "It's a... long story"  
"No doubt has to do with that damn black eyed bastard" Corvo said, his voice tinged with bitterness "I will never forgive him for continuing to put your life in danger, Emily" He shook his head "When I found out he marked you.."  
Emily grasped his hand "Father, I choose this" She said "I knew what I needed to do to stop Delilah, I needed more than I had.. I took this path on my own, He never forced it on me"  
Corvo chuckled "Yeah, The thing about The Outsider is that he likes to give you the illusion of choice, but when it all comes down to it, It's about what he wants to watch"  
"Do you think he does this for his own entertainment, Father?" She asked quietly  
"I think he doesn't give a fig about any of us, why would he?" Corvo looked away momentarily and then back at his daughter "What is he asking you to do this time?"  
"He's not asking me to do anything!" She said, her tone a little more defensive than she intended, Corvo raised his eyebrow "He did come to you, did he not?"  
"Yes" She answered, taking her hands away from her fathers "But he didn't ask me for anything. He told me a story."  
"I don't know about you, Emily, but I'm getting a little tired of his stories and his riddles. What did he tell you?"  
"There's something going on, something dangerous... That artifact that Whitmore is dragging you around to find, I know what it is" She said, her face severe  
"What?" Corvo asked "How do you know?"  
"It's the knife, Zhukov's knife."  
Corvo's face contorted in a confused expression "That knife was destroyed"  
"It wasn't" She said "They never found it, someone else did"  
"I suppose you don't know who?" He asked  
Emily looked away "I might... but there's a story you need to hear first" She took a deep breath "and I don't know if I'm ready to tell you"  
"Emily" He cocked his head, a concerned tone in his voice "What's wrong?"  
Emily wanted to tell her father about the cult and the knife's connection to the creation of The Outsider, she wanted to tell him but she did not think it was her place to say, The Outsider had never shared his origins with anyone, she was the first, and it made her feel special, maybe it was a little bit selfish, but she wanted to hold onto that feeling "Someone attacked me" She said "Someone who claims that they will find the knife" Maybe switching conversation topics will distract him, emily thought hopefully  
Luckily, his concern for Emily's safety took over any other curiosity he may have had "Who?" He said, "Who attacked you?"  
"She claimed to work at one of the shops around here, she attacked me last night in an abandoned building I was staying, I used my powers to distract her but.. I don't know where she is now, she... she called herself Getrude"  
"What did she look like?"  
"She had brown hair, little longer than mine"  
"We're going to find her and find out what she knows, Take me to the last place you saw her" He asked, gently  
"Father, are you sure about this?"  
"If she's got that knife or knows who does... We have to stop her, there's no end to what could happen with that knife" He rubbed his temples  
"Okay, what about Whitmore?"  
"We're going to have to do this on our own, if he sees either of us using our powers, The Abbey will have our heads before moon fall"  
"Good point" Emily said, giving her father a weak smile before rising from the table.

* * * * *

 

He drew smoke in the air with his finger, it lingered for a moment and disappeared as it always did, he closed his eyes and deeply sighed. He could feel vibrations all around him, moments in time that were insignificant and some that shot electricity through his very veins, Emily Kaldwin he thought, it's her, it's always her that brings these disruptions.  He wanted to know, wanted to see, but he had made a promise.

He felt the air shaking around him, felt the ache in his bones and the horrific memories of his murder flashed before his eyes, New visions past as well, Emily's lifeless and cold body, the world in fire, complete darkness. He knew he had made a promise to Emily Kaldwin, to leave, to go back to The Void but there was a part of him that wanted to disobey her orders, he wanted to help her, needed to help her.  This knife was so much more dangerous than anyone could possibly imagine, even Corvo and Emily.

He swallowed hard, He would have to deal with the repercussions later, right now he needed to make a decision or risk losing everything that made him who he was.

He crossed to the middle of the dark floating island, feeling a wind blowing from nothing, feeling the darkness rising from the endlessness beneath him, he closed his eyes and upon opening them he had a small dagger in his hands, he kneeled down and brought the blade to his palm, where a normal person would have blood run out from a wound, The Outsider had a deep obsidian liquid flow out of his palm, he dipped the index finger of his other hand in the liquid that was pooling, He brought his finger to his face, gently running the black liquid over his near snow white skin, he closed his eyes and felt the world lurching, the world fell into darkness and he was pulled down with it.

He awoke, gasping for air and grasping at anything he could, feeling faint and dizzy, He opened his eyes, the world was in front of him as it had been many times. He swallowed and rose to his feet. He hated what he had to do, but there was too much at risk to let Emily do this on her own.  He brushed the dust off his clothes and walked on, He was going to find Emily before it was too late. 

 

 

 


	13. Under The Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Outsider sets out to find Emily while her and her father are caught in a trap.

The sky started to darken as Emily and her father made their way to the small abandoned apartment that Emily had taken residence in the previous night, before she got attacked by Gertrude that is  
"What did she say to you, exactly?" Emily looked from the dark clouds to her father "She said something.. about how they were going to destroy The Outsider"  
he stopped in his tracks "What the hell does that mean?"  
Emily shrugged "I don't know, but it doesn't sound good." She looked back at the sky "The Outsider..." She began, Corvo stopped her by holding up his hand "Something is wrong" He said, Emily's body tightened up with dread "Somebody is following us" he said, whipping around "Show yourself!" He said, facing one of the dark corners of the street  
Whitmore came out with his hands up "Don't hurt me" He said, breathing heavily "Please don't hurt me" Emily and Corvo stared at the High Overseer "High Overseer Whitmore?" Corvo said, "Why the hell are you following me?"  
"Corvo" He said "I.. I had a bad feeling about this from the beginning" He bit his lip "But I uh, I didn't have proof"  
"Had a bad feeling about what?" Corvo said, Emily started to feel a trickle of terror down her neck  
Whitmore shook his head "I'm so sorry Lord Protector, Empress Kaldwin, I don't have any other choice.  You are both hereby branded as heretics by The Abbey of The Everyman, and you are coming with us"  
Emily and Corvo looked around as what seemed like dozens of Overseers came out of nowhere, they grabbed at the pair and placed dark sacks over their heads to keep their vision blocked "I'm so sorry" Whitmore said again  
"You son of a bitch!" Corvo screamed as he and his daughter were dragged off by the overseers "You hurt my daughter I will reign hell upon you all!" he shouted, Emily struggled against her captors, but it wasn't helping, she elbowed one of them in the arm but it was a mistake "She's being a problem" she heard one voice say "Put her to rest, it will be easier" Emily felt a small prick of a needle and then her world went completely dark.

  
* * * * 

The Outsider felt the breeze against his skin as the skies above him opened up to release rain down upon him, he lifted his face to the the sky and accepted the droplets with ease, it had been a very long time since he had felt, truly felt such a human sensation.  He almost smiled, but shook himself and remembered the task at hand, _I have to find Emily_ he thought as he walked through the shop lined streets, a gray haired woman stopped him in his tracks "You" She said "You look like a strapping young man!" He raised his eyebrow "I need your help"  She said  
He put his hand up "Please, I don't have time" The woman rolled her eyes "It's just moving a couple boxes, I can even pay ya some coin, You look like you haven't eaten in a long time"  
"Look" He said, a little more firmly this time "I truly don't have time"  
She laughed "Why are youth so serious? You have all the time in the world, Kid. It's me who has a limit."  
"Fine, I'll help." He said through gritted teeth and entered the woman's shop. It looked like a shop that specialized in tea cups, he looked around at all the different ornate cups and looked back to the woman "Tea cups?" She beamed at her shop "Yep" She said "Tea cups"  
"Can you help me unload a couple of boxes of these, Kid?" She said "I gotta take care of some crap back in the storage" "What boxes?" he asked quietly  
She gave him a look "Are you smart or what? Look around kid. Pick any box" She walked to the back room and left him surrounded by boxes of tea cups.  He sighed and put his hands over his mouth.  He didn't have time for any of this and yet here he was, bending over a box of tea cups when it happened, he saw a drip of red hit the tea cup and then another, he brought his finger to his nose and wiped away blood. Real, human blood.  He shook himself, There were many powers that The Outsider had and many more things he was aware of being able to do, He was a conduit for the Void and his powers were varied.   He had never done this before, a ritual to create a human form that he could bind himself to, It was liable to take all of the energy he had away from him, Which is why he really didn't have a lot of time to waste.  He looked around, The old woman was still in the back and the door was wide open, He pinched his nose to stop the bleeding and ran out of the shop

 

 * * * *

 Emily woke, feeling dazed and confused - she shook her head, trying to come to her senses.   All of a sudden her memories came flooding back to her, She and Corvo had been betrayed by Whitmore, set up and captured by the Overseers.  She looked around, she seemed to be in some sort of cell.  "Corvo?" She whispered

"I'm here, Emily" His voice came from a cell beside hers

"Where are we?" She asked

"Whitmore betrayed us, We're in Abbey's holding cell for heretics." 

"They hold them here?" She asked, horrified "What do they do with them?" 

"I don't know, I don't really want to stay long enough to find out though" He sighed "I can't believe this" Emily said "They are going to destroy my name, I will be disgraced..." 

"We'll figure it out Emily.  I promise you" 

High Overseer Whitmore stroded into the room, standing in front of the cells "Hello Lord Protector, Empress Emily" He bowed deeply

Emily scoffed "How can you bow after what you have done here?"

Whitmore shook his head "I am most deeply sorry, but I have found disturbing things, secrets about your family and your life. You keep a public face, Emily Kaldwin, but your life in private" He looked down "You have made a grave mistake here, Whitmore" 

"Am I? I found this disgusting heretetical artifact within Dunwall tower!" He grabbed a rune off a side table "Explain this!" 

Emily felt a chill down her spine, this was how her legacy would end, She would be branded a heretic and exiled from the land, or killed out right. 

"I want to know why you have this!" 

"That's a good question" a male voice said behind Whitmore, Emily struggled to make out who it was but he was shrouded in shadow, Whitmore whipped around "What in the name of the Isles? Who are you?" 

"A friend" He said, placing his hand on Whitmore's shoulder, the last thing Whitmore saw before fainting was a young looking pale boy standing in front of him.

The boy leaned over Whitmore, grabbed the cell keys from his pocket and approached the cell 

"Don't come any closer until you tell me who the hell you are" 

"I gave you a gift about fifteen years ago" The boy said "Now I'm giving you another one, you're freedom" 

Emily felt her whole body relax a little bit as she exhaled the breath she had been holding, Her and her father exited their cells "What the hell?" Corvo said, eyeing the boy "How are you here?"

The Outsider gave the man a look and sighed "We do not have time for a story"

Corvo bit back a chuckle "You don't have time for a story? What a surprise" 

Emily giggled beside her father as The Outsider adjusted his shirt, Emily shot him a look and then she saw it "Wait a minute" She said, coming closer to him and turning his face towards her "Your eyes..." She felt her breath catch in her throat and Corvo's heated glare penetrating through her skull, She coughed and pushed herself away, looking around the cell to avoid her father's gaze

"Yes, it seems like there's going to be a lot of stories to be told later" Corvo said "We have to get out of here. I suppose you can't give us one last gift?" he asked The Outsider, who looked up from his shoes "Possibly" He placed his finger against his chin thoughtfully "Take my hands, the two of you." Corvo and Emily both raised their eyebrows "Why?" Emily said, taking a step forward, Corvo followed suit

"I am a conduit to The Void's power, I am capable of many abilities, There are a large number of Overseers in this building and we would never be able to get past them, I can help"

"Why should we accept your help?  You're the reason we're in this mess in the first place. You're the reason my Emily has been put in danger again" Corvo said, anger rising in his throat

"Corvo, If you and Emily wish to die in a dark basement that is not something I can talk you out of, But if you wish to live... Take my hand, both of you." Emily reached for his hand and felt electricity shoot through her whole body, a shiver went down her spine and she tried to conceal her obvious embarrassment by putting her head down, Corvo sighed "I'm a little tired of accepting help from you" 

"Still as stubborn as ever, I am very glad to see that some things never change." The Outsider said with a sly smile and Corvo stepped forward and reluctantly took the pale hand.

The Outsider closed his eyes and instructed Emily and her father to do the same, Emily continued feeling the sparks shooting through her hand and was wondering if it was a side effect of his intense connection to The Void or her intense connection to the man.

Warmth filled her body and it felt like a strong wind was gusting through her hair, blowing it every which way "Open your eyes " The Outsider said, his voice barely above a whisper and enough to make the hairs on Emily's neck stand up.

She opened her eyes and they were in the renovated apartment in the Dust District that Whitmore had been staying at prior

Emily looked at The Outsider and put her hand to her mouth "How did you do that?"  He smiled "You aren't the only one who has powers, Emily" Corvo gave the two a look and gruffly said "I know there is something going on here" Emily swallowed hard "I don't know what is going on between you two, and I won't ask" He shot The Outsider a glare 

"We can all agree that there are more important things to focus our attention on" Corvo approached him and grabbed him by the dark jacket he had on "Listen here, there is nothing more important than the safety of my Emily, I will never forgive you for marking her and putting her at risk"

The pale boy stared back at him, unwavering but a tad less threatening without the pitch black eyes, much more human in his gaze "Corvo" He said simply and calmly "Emily chose to take that mark, She knew the risks and she took the mark anyway to save her people and to save you. Do not fault me for a choice SHE made" 

Corvo bit his bottom lip in anger "I don't know what you are playing at here, but If you lead her to danger, I will kill you." He let go of his jacket and Emily touched her father's arm "Father, He's right" She said, nodding slowly "I told you this, I knew the risks, He isn't leading me into danger. I'm willingly going into danger, I will do anything to protect my people" 

"Emily, I know that... That makes you a great ruler just like your mother, but I would do anything to protect _you"_

"I know father, and I thank you for it.  But you cannot keep me from danger."

"That doesn't mean I'm not going to try." He looked around "What do we do now?" 

Emily thought back to seeing the royal aide in her chambers "Stemmel!" She said "He was in my room! He was going through my stuff and the rune I had set on my desk was missing" 

"Edward Stemmel?  How could he betray us like this?" 

"He's probably working for the Abbey.. I wonder if this entire trip wasn't just a rouse to capture you and brand you a heretic"  Corvo clenched his fist "This disloyalty is getting harder and harder to spot, I need to speak to Liam Byrne"

Emily grabbed his arm "Are you out of your mind?! Going back into the Abbey?" 

"He's not in the Abbey, he's down by Paolo's old hangout.  I need to have a few words with him before this becomes big news, I need to see if I can save both our names.  Emily, do not do anything without me, I will be back by nightfall."  He gave her a kiss on the forehead and turned towards The Outsider "If you let anything happen to her.."  He trailed off and left the apartment, leaving Emily alone with the boy who was once a God.

 

 


	14. Calamity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As storms rage on, Decisions are made.

It had been a few hours since Corvo had left to visit with Liam Byrne, Emily sat on the couch by the window, besides the sounds of thunder outside, the room was in complete silence. The Outsider was sitting in a chair across from her and Emily was almost certain he had fallen asleep. She looked over at him and sighed, pushing herself up off the couch and crossing over to his chair. She tenderly brushed the back of her hand against his cheek and placed his jacket over him, He jolted awake and sat up looking around wildly "What? What is happening?" Emily touched his hand "I'm just covering you, so you don't get cold during the night" He looked up at her "That is an odd action to take, Emily"   
Emily couldn't help but smile at him "There he is" She said, going back over to the couch and sitting down. The Outsider got up and joined her, tossing his jacket beside him. He sat beside her in silence for a while before Emily spoke again "How did.." He put up a hand to interrupt her "Magic"   
Emily tried to conceal another small smile "That seems like a lazy answer" He glanced at her "You have shown displeasure in my presence prior to this, why now are you behaving differently?"  
Emily burst out laughing, "My goodness, you're like an alien!"   
The Outsider sat there, a blank expression on his pale face, She recovered and looked back at him "I can't believe you can do this" She touched his arm and trailed her fingers down to his leg.  
"It is merely a construction of a mortal, I bind my spirit to this construct, but it does not last forever." He wiped at his nose, revealing blood "It takes an incredible amount of energy and power to be able to do what I am doing right now, If I remain as I am now for too long, It is...bad"   
Emily watched the boy as he wiped blood off his hands onto his white shirt "You could have used your pants" She mused, he looked down at his now stained shirt and frowned "I suppose you are right"   
"So how is this different than what you were doing before? being here... with me?"   
"The difference... is that I am really here, and I am capable of being hurt. Before I was merely splitting between two places, The Void, and this realm." He looked around the room "although there were problems if I was not in your presence because of your void connections, The problems would be extremely dire under my circumstances now"   
"What do you mean?" She asked, gently squeezing his hand  
"Before I would merely lose energy and return to The Void if I die, I will not"   
Emily gaped at him "Then why would you take such a stupid risk?"   
He gave her a small smile and lifted her hand up in his "The Void is a terribly dark and cruel place, Emily. You always bring some color to it. If the world is destroyed, you will be destroyed"  
Emily felt her cheeks flush "You're doing this for me?"  
"What else is there?" He said softly as he locked his gaze with hers, she was not used to staring into eyes that weren't pitch black and horrifying, but she found herself becoming lost regardless  
"Kiss me," Emily said, her voice barely above a whisper  
"Why would I do that, Empress?"  
Emily rolled her eyes "Just do it" He leaned in closer to her, their lips barely an inch from touching when his nose started bleeding again, he pulled away "Apologies" He said, shyly.  
"is this happening because of your ritual?" He shook his head "Not this time" He wiped the blood away with his arm, leaving a stained trail of red on his pale skin "I am guessing that this is a reaction to being... nervous"   
Emily chuckled "You're nervous?"   
He bit his lip "I suppose so" They sat in silence for a couple of moments, and Emily used this to her advantage, leaning in and pushing him back onto the couch "Emily, You are aware that I am bleeding, right?"   
She shrugged "I don't care"   
He looked up at her "You are aware that the last time you had me in this... position, your father was very close to opening the door to your room, Do you wish to repeat that?"   
Emily kissed him gently, placing her hand against his cheek and then pulling away slightly to whisper in his ear "I don't care", she almost felt him shiver beneath her.   
Their moment of passion was interrupted when the thunder started to crash louder in the sky outside, it startled Emily and her pale friend and Emily jolted up on the couch, pulling back the curtains to look outside, the entire sky was painted in black hues, The Outsider sat up to look out as well, his eyes widened "This is not good" he said, slumping back onto the couch, Emily tore herself away from the window to place her hand on his shoulder "What is going on?" The Outsider placed his face in his hands "Whoever has that knife is tearing holes between the realms"   
"What does that even mean?" Emily said, creasing her eyebrows.   
"It means that soon, there isn't going to be anything left. It will devour all of the lights in the sky" He rubbed his temples  
Emily frowns "Is there anything we can do... can we stop it?"   
The Outsider nervously bit his lip "I... don't know." He looked down  
"What do you mean you don't know?" Emily asked  
"I mean exactly what I say, Emily. I do not know if there is a way to stop this"   
"So what are we supposed to do?" Emily's noticed the worried tone in her voice, she hated it but couldn't make it stop "Are we just going to sit and wait for the world to end and not do anything?"   
The Outsider did not speak, he was breathing slowly, steady and staring at the floor  
"I mean if you're a god, why can't you do anything? Why can't you fix this?" her voice started shaking  
"Emily," He said "Please"  
Emily rose from the couch "I'm sick of you claiming you don't know anything, you know, you just don't want to help."  
The Outsider stood as well, his hands balled into fists at his side "Emily" he said, his voice shaking "I am not all knowing" He took a breath  
"Is that it?" Emily said, staring at the boy in front of her "Or is it just that it's more interesting and fun to watch the world burn?"   
"This world falls and so does mine," He said, Emily detected the rising anger in his tone   
"So that's it, right? You're only here for yourself. You don't give a fig for anyone else?" She snapped at him   
The Outsider crossed the room over to Emily's bag, "What are you doing?" Emily asked him as he leaned over her bag and searched through it until he found one of the daggers Emily had brought, he turned back to Emily and held the dagger to his palm cutting into it "THIS" He said, letting the blood run down his arm "IS WHAT I DID TO BE HERE" He let the dagger fall to the floor with a thud.  
He glared at her "Do not tell me I don't care for this world or the people in it when you KNOW that is not true"   
Emily took a step back, she felt her heart beating fast, she had never seen such a display of human emotion on this man and it shook her. The Outsider sat on the couch, blood dripping down his arm and onto the floor.   
Emily took the cloth she used to cover her mark and came over to him, she sat beside him and took his hand, wrapping the cloth tightly around his palm  
"You look afraid" He stated, his voice still shaking  
"I've never seen you act that way," She said softly  
"I have spent many years not knowing these feelings, or... not understanding them, I do not know how they are expressed, It is very strange."   
"Well, you certainly expressed anger very well," Emily said, suppressing a small chuckle  
He smiled at her weakly "I am very sorry, Emily" He said, looking at her, his face was etched with concern, Emily placed her hand against his cheek and without warning, he kissed her and pulled away just as quickly "I can touch and things aren't as cold here. Everything is like a fire" He placed his hand on his face "I'm experiencing emotions I don't know how to figure out, But I want to" His voice ached with a desperation that made Emily very sad  
"Is there no... way?" She asked  
"No way for me to stay like this? No, I will die." Emily squeezed his hand and gave him a sad look "If we don't stop this, everything will be swallowed in darkness and if you stay here too long this way, it will destroy you"   
He rested his head against the arm of the couch and he closed his eyes "I can see many things I have never been able to before, My eyes were pitch black... Imbued with the magic of the void" He said, sitting back up "I can see colors, I can see life"   
"So, you help me save the world and you die, or you go back and the world dies?" Emily asked  
"If I die, The Void will simply create another representation of itself, I am nothing, I am unimportant"   
"You're important to me"   
The Outsider smiled "I appreciate that Emily but... I've made my decision, I want to stay this way until it is too late, I will help you end this threat against the world, and then I will die." He smiled sadly "But I will die knowing that I have lived"   
Emily swallowed, her heart felt like it was in her throat "You probably shouldn't make any rash decisions" She said hastily "You're dealing with emotions you've never felt before, or at least for a really long time"   
He rose from the couch and started pacing around the small room "This is not rash, Emily, this is my life. I had it stolen from me ages before the world as you know it, Don't tell me that if you had another chance to do something over again, you wouldn't take it"  
Emily thought "Of course. I would.. but... You knew this would happen, didn't you?" She stood up "You knew that once you did this ritual and bound yourself to this mortal body that you'd probably not want to leave it"   
He looked away "I did not know...I thought I could fight against those urges, those feelings. But standing near you now proves to me that is not true."   
Emily raised her eyebrow "What urges?"  
"You already know the answer to that" His face flushed red  
Emily grabbed his hands into hers and pulled him close to her, she kissed him deeply and passionately, pushing him back down to the couch and putting her hand on the back of his neck, pulling him closer to her, "What are you doing?" He asked, breathlessly "Is this really the time for this?"  
"When isn't the time for us?" She laughed "We made out in the hallway of the boat while my father and Whitmore, the HIGH OVERSEER were standing right beside us"   
The Outsider snickered "Emily, You cannot keep away from me, it seems"   
Emily shoved him "Like I'm the only one"   
He smiled "Emily Kaldwin," he said softly as he leaned into her "You fascinate me"   
Emily blushed "Kiss me" She whispered   
"No" He replied in a whisper  
"Kiss me" Emily repeated hungrily, she grabbed his shirt, he sighed and let himself fall into her embrace, the pair kissing deeply as the rumbling outside continued, Emily started to unbutton his shirt while still locked in a kiss, she brushed her fingers against his skin.  
"What the hell is going on here?" A voice behind then said  
Emily pushed herself away from The Outsider and looked up in horror as her father was standing in the door.   
"Emily," Her father said, his voice calm despite Emily knowing otherwise "I need to speak with you outside, Please." She rose from the couch and followed her father outside, He shut the door gently and turned to his daughter "What in the isles is going on, Emily? Is there something going on between you two?"   
Emily looked at her feet, there was something in his tone that made her feel like a little girl caught getting into the sweets in the kitchen when she was told not to.   
"Are you sure you can trust him, Emily?"   
"Yes," She said, looking up at her father "I know that you won't understand this but... I feel connected to him in a way that I have never felt with anyone else before"  
"Is it love?" Corvo asked, his face unreadable and severe  
Emily stood there, her expression frozen on her face "I... I don't know" She said "I don't... I don't think I've thought about it,"  
"Or you've been trying to avoid thinking about it" Corvo offered, placing his hand on his daughter's shoulder "When did this happen?"   
Emily gulped "Last year," She said "I mean... not this" She bit her lip "I don't know, I just started feeling this connection the moment that we met and I know that he feels it too and it's something that I have fought against but I... I feel like I shouldn't be fighting it"   
Corvo smirked, "Sounds a little bit like love to me, Emily."  
Emily looked up at him, tears in her eyes "How could it be?" She started crying and threw herself into her father's arms "He's not going to be here forever... He's going to die"   
"Because of what's happening?"  
She looked up at him "Because of what he's done to himself, He bound himself to a construct that he's created, He... he said the magic won't hold forever... He won't last...."   
Corvo hugged his daughter tightly as she sobbed into his chest. 


	15. About The Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio tries to decide what to do, while the world is falling apart outside

The Outsider closed his eyes and laid back on the couch, the rumbling outside growing loud enough that he almost felt the floor trembling beneath him.  
Emily and Corvo had been gone for a while, He wondered if he should check to see if they were still outside or if they had gone off somewhere, He pulled himself upwards to a sitting position just as the pair came through the door  
"So Liam Byrne can get us off the hook for what happened back there," Corvo said, dropping down into the chair across from The Outsider "Whitmore is going to be in a lot of trouble"  
Emily sat down on the arm of the couch, as far away from The Outsider as she could manage "He set us up" She said, bitterly "I can't believe it. Under our own noses, in the tower.."  
"Edward Stemmel" Corvo sighed "I can't believe I didn't catch it"  
"Whitmore probably set up that meeting at the tower just so you wouldn't be present when Stemmel was going through the rooms" Emily pulled at her hair pins and let her hair fall down past her shoulders, The Outsider watched her do this and quietly gulped.  
Corvo shook his head "I would like to have some words with that man, Ask him why he did all this. What does it do to set up the Lord Protector and his daughter as heretics?"  
"Not exactly untrue, though is it?" The Outsider asked  
Corvo waved his hand in the air as if to wave away his words "They don't know that, and that's not the point" he sighed  
"I suppose you don't have any insight on this?" He said, looking at The Outsider, who shrugged "I will tell you what I told Emily, I do not know all things"  
"Very helpful," Corvo said gruffly  
"It would do well to find the knife," Emily said "But even then, how are we going to get rid of it? Zhukov dropped it in a flaming vat and I still managed to pull it out of one of those shards, It seems impossible to get rid of"  
"Nothing is impossible, Emily," The Outsider offered  
"If nothing is impossible, what do we do about this damn knife?" Corvo asked and put his face in his hands "I'm seeing really weird things out there. When I was on my way to Bryne's... I kept hearing noises, there were places that seemed to falling off the world, I don't know what the hell is going on, but it's not good"  
Emily interjected "And there was that woman who attacked me"  
The Outsider perked up at this "You were attacked?" He asked  
"It's not a big deal," She said hastily, The Outsider stood "Not a big deal?" He said, "What happened?"  
"Just... some woman, she attacked me, claimed to know where the knife was and that 'they' were going to uh.." She nervously ran her hand through her hair "She said that they were going to.... destroy you" She said, shrugging  
The Outsider closed his eyes and breathed heavily "When were you going to mention this?" He asked, "Did you think this was some unimportant little piece of information you could just forget about?!" He started to raise his voice when Corvo stood and stepped in front of him "Don't raise your voice at my Daughter" He said "We're all stressed out right now about all of this... It's not fair to get angry at her"  
"I'm not angry at her," He said simply "I'm astounded that we had been alone here for nearly three hours and in all of that time she made no mention of being attacked by somebody who claims to know where the knife that we NEED to find is" He clenched his fists.  
"I told you to stop yelling at my daughter," Corvo said, pressing a finger to his temple  
The Outsider huffed and threw himself down on the couch, crossing his arms angrily, Corvo glanced at him and then spoke  
"Emily and I were going to retrace her steps from the other night to see if we could track the woman down, and then we got captured by The Overseers" He sat back on the chair "I figure we can just continue that, Maybe try to find something to lead us to the knife"  
Thunder rattled the house as rain drops started to pelt against the glass "We should wait out the storm" Emily said  
the Outsider shook his head "There is not a lot of time" He said, wiping new blood from his nose onto his pants, Emily exhaled and crossed to her luggage, grabbing out a strip of cloth used for wrapping wounds, she approached The Outsider and handed him the cloth, he looked up at her and cocked his head in confusion.  
"For your nose," She said, he pressed the cloth to his nose to stop the blood flow and nodded to Emily "Thank you"  
Corvo stood and looked out the open door "It does look bad out there" He said "Maybe Emily is right"  
Emily placed her hand gently on top of The Outsider's "I know that we don't have much time, but what good is going out there now? We're likely to be separated, easy to be ambushed too"  
Corvo turned and nodded "Yeah, I say we wait"  
The Outsider groaned "Very well, but at this rate, I may not be able to join you. I'm feeling very. faint"  
"Could be all the blood loss?" Emily said with a smirk, Corvo noticed the gentleness in which she lifted his hand in hers and squeezed it.  
"You can stay here, Corvo and I can handle this on our own" Emily said  
"No" He shook his head "I can't let you two risk it alone"  
"But how will you be of help to us?" Corvo asked, "Emily told me you bound your spirit to some construct, You don't have any powers anymore, do you?"  
The Outsider looked up at the gruff man "I do but... only enough energy to use them if I really have to"  
Corvo sat down "Here's hoping you don't," He said, They all sat in silence as the storm outside raged on and the door rattled on its hinges.

* * * *

There were rocks falling from the sky, jagged and obsidian, they hit against the windows with a thud. Emily, Corvo and The Outsider tried to stay warm as an eery chill had fallen over the city.  
"When did it get so cold?" Emily asked, trying to speak through the chattering of her teeth.  
"It's like the damn Month of Darkness out there," Corvo said, shivering in his chair.  
The Outsider rose from the couch and pulled the curtains away from the fireplace  
"There's a fireplace here?" Emily asked  
"I saw it earlier" He replied, leaning over it "I don't know how to light this"  
Corvo snickered, still shivering "Four thousand years old and you can't light a simple fire?"  
The Outsider shot him a glare "Apologies" He replied "I was murdered before I learned how to do that"  
Corvo's grin disappeared and Emily put her hand on her face "You may not know how to light that fire, but you sure know how to light up a room" She said, trying not to smile  
The Outsider crossed back to the couch, sitting beside Emily and sighing  
"We shouldn't be here" He noted "We should be out there stopping whoever has that knife. Things are only going to get worse"  
Corvo stood and headed to check the fireplace "Look, we wouldn't survive out there right now. We have to make sure we get through the night"  
"Which doesn't look promising," Emily said, "We're going to freeze to death"  
"Not if I find some kindling," Corvo said "I'll go and check upstairs. You kids just sit tight, okay?" He headed up the stairs while the thunder crashed outside.  
Emily reached her hand across the space between her and The Outsider "What's wrong?"  
He took her hand "I do not know what you mean, Emily"  
She squeezed his hand tightly in hers "You've been acting really strange all evening"  
"Strange?"  
"Distant, angry... maybe even a little sad"  
"I am not sad, Emily Kaldwin" He pulled his hand away from her grasp  
She smirked "I knew you were a good story teller"  
"I am not lying, Emily. If that is what you are insinuating"  
"You can tell me if you are," She said softly  
"If I was, I would tell you. I am not" He responded, Emily could hear the tension in his voice  
"It's okay to be afraid, to be sad"  
He looked at her "Emily" He said in a whisper "I am not sad, Please just stop it"  
Emily brushed her hand against his cheek as her father came back down the stairs  
"I couldn't find a damn thing up there," He said, pausing on the landing as he spotted his daughter and The Outsider  
"Am I... interrupting something?" Corvo said, eyebrows raised  
"Emily is under the impression that I am sad. She will not stop trying to comfort me even though I have told her that I am not sad"  
Emily pulled her hand back "Fine" She snapped "I'm just trying to be nice"  
Corvo sunk back into his chair "We really aren't in the position for you two to be bickering" He advised and then chuckled "I never thought I'd ever see anything like this" He said, shaking his head "My daughter fighting with The Outsider, The Outsider sitting across from me, not floating, not disappearing into black smoke... Looking at me with human eyes"  
The Outsider looked up at him "It's just kind of unexpected" Corvo added  
Emily got up "I'm going to sleep upstairs" Corvo nodded "We'll head out tomorrow, try to find a lead on this knife" Emily walked up the stairs, feeling rejected and tired.

* * * *

Corvo and The Outsider were sitting across from each other, mostly in silence except the loud rumbling outside and the occasional plink against the window as more rocks from The Void crashed down into this realm.  
"Can I ask you a question?" Corvo said  
The Outsider looked up at him "You already did"  
"A sense of humor, Who would have thought?" Corvo chuckled and crossed to the couch to sit next to the young man  
"Are you in love with her?" He asked without prompt  
The Outsider looked around the room at everything but Corvo  
"I do not have the same grasp of these feelings as you and others do. Corvo"  
"Is that your way of saying you don't know?"  
"Yes"  
"She has... a lot of affection for you," Corvo said, "I have never seen her feel this way towards anyone, before"  
"Corvo," He said, looking at the man "Emily may feel that way, but she should not, she cannot" He looked down  
"Why? It's very obvious even to an old man like me that you return her feelings in some way, Whatever way you are capable of"  
"There is no way that I will ever be able to be what Emily needs" He laid his head back against the couch "I will not be here forever."  
"Yeah, Emily told me about your ritual, the magic is.. confusing to me. I didn't think anything like this was possible. It sounds like a very dangerous thing to do. Why then, did you do it?"  
"I care for this world, I want to help save it"  
"Yeah, the world is not the only thing you care for" Corvo chuckled "I just want Emily to be happy"  
"As do I, My Dear Friend, But I have made my choice" The Outsider shifted uncomfortably  
"What choice is that?"  
"When this is over," He said "I will not be here anymore, I will live out however long I have left, and then I will let myself die"  
Corvo cleared his throat and shifted in his seat "What about The Void?"  
"The Void will create another representation with time," The Outsider said "I have not been alive in a very long time, but now I am.. When I did this ritual I thought that I would be able to fight the urges to stay locked inside this construct, But I am weak and I have fallen prey to the most human emotion of all." He gave Corvo a sad look "I want to live, even if it isn't a long life"  
"How long will this hold?" Corvo asked  
"A couple of days at the least, Maybe even a week, It will be long enough for me"  
"So," Corvo said, "You're going to abandon us?"  
"That is the plan," He said without hesitation "But please, Do not tell Emily, I wish to leave this place without her knowing, I informed her that I will not return to The Void, that I wanted to live out my remaining days in this construct. But I do not want her to know that I will leave, I will part with this place"  
"You're going to break her heart if you choose this" Corvo said  
"In the long run," The Outsider said, as another crash of thunder shook the house "It will be best for her"  
He put his face in his hands "Emily deserves somebody who is here, alive, who is normal" He said "She deserves all that I cannot and will never be able to give her" He gave Corvo a pleading look "Please do not tell her, Corvo" He said, starting to tremble again from the chill  
"I won't," Corvo said "I promise"  
A loud creaking sound broke the quiet, Corvo stood up "What was that?" The Outsider asked as Corvo looked around "Emily?" He asked  
A monster crawled out from the shadows, It was a horrifying sight to behold, almost skeleton like in appearance, dark tendrils poking out every which way, It lunged at Corvo knocking him hard into a wall and shattering the bone in his arm, He grunted and slumped back. The Monster changed direction and started right towards The Outsider, whatever eyes it had widened with malice, but the former God was quick as he dodged the shadow creature and grasped the sword that had been lying against the chair, he flipped the blade up, swinging wildly in the hopes that he would hit something. The sword sliced through the air as the shadow moved effortlessly to avoid it, it grabbed The Outsider by the wrist and threw the sword against the opposite wall, it opened it's large and gaping mouth, filled to the brim with bone like teeth.  
It took it's long tendril of a finger and sliced into the boy's neck, cutting deep, The Outsider groaned with pain and fought against the beast, he dug his nails into it's shadowed eyes and The Monster threw him against the staircase, The Outsider groaned and tried to climb up the stairs when he heard a scream coming from above him "Emily" He grunted, his body heaving with pain. The Beast was advancing on him but he kept focus on getting to the top of the stairs.  
When he finally managed to make it to the landing he saw Emily, she was cornered at the far end of the hallway by several more of the tall shadow monsters.  
"Emily!" He shouted, "Take this!" He weakly tossed the sword in her direction, hoping that she would be able to catch it. She caught it firmly in her hand and stabbed the monster directly through the stomach as The Outsider was forcibly dragged back down the stairs.  
The Monster placed one of its bone-thin fingers on the boy's face "You have died before" It hissed "And you will die again" It pressed it's painfully sharp nail to the boy's neck again, causing searing pain and the feeling of blood running down and soaking into his shirt.  
He was close to losing consciousness completely, he tried to get away from the monster but it grabbed his foot again, twisting it painfully in its supernatural grip, The Outsider winced as he tried to keep himself from passing out, He felt himself slipping from the world, nothing but endless black beneath him.

* * * *

The following morning, Emily pulled back the curtains to see the damage outside, there were cracks in the window and black rocks lining the streets outside.  
"Father you are in absolutely no condition to go out there," She said  
"What do you suggest, Emily?" He asked, giving up his attempt at raising himself out of the chair "You go out there and handle this all on your own?"  
"Who else is going to do it? You broke your arm and him" she indicated the sleeping form beside her on the couch "He hasn't even woken up yet"  
"Emily, there is no way I'm sending you out there alone," her father said  
Before she could respond in protest, The Outsider started to stir beside her, his eyes opening slowly "Wh-what happened?" He asked, trying to sit up, Emily put her hand up "No, don't try to move" he slumped back to the couch  
"You were hurt really badly last night," She said "You lost a lot of blood"  
He smiled weakly "Not the first time"  
"This isn't funny, you could have died," Emily grimaced, brushing the hair off his forehead  
"I have," He said waving his hand in the air "Not a big deal, really"  
Emily gave him an incredulous look before turning to her father "Corvo, It's not like I'm incapable of taking care of myself"  
"I'm not saying that Emily," he responded "But I remember the last time we encountered that knife, it almost killed us both"  
"That was different" Emily said hastily "Zhukov was taking power from those corrupted charms he had, not the knife"  
"The knife offered him some powers" The Outsider spoke again, his voice a hoarse whisper "It whispered to him, a song of sorts... How do you think he knew how to make those charms?"  
Emily stared at him "You mean the knife told him how?"  
"That knife was cursed from the ritual that bound my life to The Void, it carries a darkness within it that is unimaginable" Emily placed her hand on his shoulder "You shouldn't speak," she said "You have a pretty bad cut on your neck from that... monster"  
He brought his hand to his throat, touching the bandage wrap and wincing "Not the first time" he looked very drained and a lot paler than usual, which Emily could attribute to all the blood he lost the previous night - but she knew something else was going on "What were those things?"  
"Do you remember when I told you that the void was a strange place?" He asked  
"Yes" she answered, she continued gently brushing her fingers against his forehead  
"There are many things in The Void that not even I have encountered"  
"Do you know what those things are?"  
"Monsters, a pure manifestation of darkness within The Void" he pressed against the bandage on his neck "Do I have a cut underneath this?"  
"I just said you had" She said, concern etched on her face "Are you okay?"  
"I'm fine, Emily."  
Emily stroked her fingers against his hand "You were bleeding a lot" She said "I didn't know if I'd be able to stop the bleeding with what we had here since the elixirs I had in my bag broke when I was attacked me" The Outsider coughed lightly and closed his eyes  
"The Void just keeps getting nicer and nicer," Corvo said with a small chuckle "Floating islands of darkness, Gods bestowing gifts upon you, and now monsters?"  
"The monsters have been there for as long as The Void has been in existence, Corvo," The Outsider interjected "But they are spilling out into this world as well, not a good sign by any means"  
"So what does this... mean exactly?" Corvo asked  
"It means," The Outsider continued, starting to sound exasperated, "that The Void is being thrown into unbalance by whatever those people are doing with that knife, They seem to be unlocking powers through the curse, tearing holes into the very fabric of reality..." He coughed into his hands, blood and saliva stained his palm  
Emily gave him a worried glance, he propped himself up on his elbow "Corvo" He said weakly "I know that you don't think it is a good idea for Emily to go out there alone, but she may be our only hope of stopping this. There is no way I can accompany her in my current state, nor you"  
"You are as crazy as a common street thug if you think I'm going to let Emily go out there alone"  
Emily ran her hand through her hair and stood "Father, It's not as if I will be alone" She held up her hand, showing the near fading mark  
"But your mark is fading, Emily... What if it disappears completely while you are out there?"  
"Then I'll have to use some of the common street thug knowledge I learned from him to get by" She threw her head back and laughed  
"Emily, I am being serious, you could get killed out there"  
Her smile faded "I'm being serious too father, If I don't do anything... we could all die" She grabbed The Outsider's jacket, which had been tossed over the arm of the couch the previous night and put it on "I'm going, There's nothing you can do to stop me, Corvo" She said, without waiting for a response she grabbed her sword and headed out the door

 


	16. Empty Hands and Heavy Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stakes are high with Emily risking it all to find the knife, The Outsider's revelation stuns Emily.

Emily knew Corvo believed that she was taking a risk going out on her own, but she also knew that if she didn't, the world might not be here at all.  
She half walked, half ran from the old apartment, paranoid about being trailed again, she made her way up the same path her and her father had taken before being captured and jumped onto a low roof, pulling herself up - traveling by rooftop was a lot less risky for her, as it made being spotted or followed a lot more difficult. She looked at her marked hand and saw a faint blue glow, She had no idea what was going on with her powers not working and the mark slowly fading, but she suspected it had to do with the connection between this world and the void being corrupted by whoever has the knife.  
"Emily" a whisper crept into her ear and she whirled around only to see that there was nobody there, she must have been imagining things, She shook herself and continued on her path, trying to remain inconspicuous, She had to find Gertrude, she had to make her talk.  
She heard it again, this time it was louder as if someone was right beside her "Emily" the voice spoke again, she felt the hairs stand up on her neck and she swatted at the air with her hand "Who are you?!"  
"we are the shadows, we are what creates"  
Emily froze in place "What creates? What creates what?!" She spun around trying to find the source of the voice.  
"these people will destroy all, they must be stopped"  
Emily felt herself lurch forward on the roof, she fell to her knees and grabbed her head as she started to see flashes of moments through time, a young girl hit by a train, hooded men traveling by carriage, dark storms throughout the world, a young boy's neck gets slit on an altar, Emily shut her eyes tightly and hit her hands against the side of her head to stop these flashes   
"he has died before and he will die again," the voice said, not even a whisper anymore, almost a shout, Emily's mind calmed down and the flashes stopped, she took deep ragged breaths and felt sweat dripping down her face.  
"What the hell was that?" she touched her mark, She felt weak and felt her connection to the void slipping away more and more with each passing minute, she stood and stumbled as she tried to continue walking, there appeared a large confusing statue in front of her, it was mismatched and broken, etched forever in black stone.  
she pressed onwards and finally made it to the apartment, She jumped down off the roof and kicked the door open, to her surprise, Gertrude was still there. The woman was kneeling in front of candles and whispering when Emily strode up to her and pulled her up by the hair "Tell me EVERYTHING you know," Emily said, shoving the woman against the wall "I don't know anything!" She said.  
Emily put the sword to the woman's throat "Okay!" Gertrude shouted hastily, "I'll tell you whatever you want to know, please just don't kill me!"  
Emily gradually lowered the sword "I'm not going to kill you, I just need to know about that knife"  
"What knife?" Gertrude said with a mocking smile  
"Cut the crap, you know what I'm talking about, twin bladed bronze knife"  
"Yes.. okay, I know about the knife," She said, Emily raised the sword again threateningly  
"Okay okay okay," Gertrude said, starting to sweat "There are almost no documentations about this knife, It was used in a ritual four thousand years ago to bind the spirit of a young boy to The Void" Emily put up a hand to stop her   
"I already know all of this, tell me where it is"   
"This knife is not documented, one small excerpt which refers to it only as the Kult Knife" She said, tracing lines on her face with her finger and sitting down on the floor against the wall, Emily sat down as well and kept an eye on the door, so she could make sure Gertrude wouldn't try to make a run for it   
"The cult that used this knife, These were not bad people"  
Emily gasped "They murdered a fifteen-year-old boy!"  
Gertrude shrugged "They only did it because they had no choice. Just as I have no choice for what I am going to do"  
Emily gave her a look "What... are you planning?" Emily asked, trying to appear casual instead of nervous  
"I and my companions wish to destroy, Him, The Outsider," She said, a bitter expression on her face "He is a being of darkness and despair, he brings nothing but chaos to this world and we MUST destroy him!" She screamed   
Emily pushed herself up and backed away "What you and your little friends are doing is destroying the world, both worlds. Don't you see what's happening out there?"  
"I see it, I do not care" Gertrude started laughing "We will destroy The Outsider!"   
"You're insane!" Emily said, "What the hell do you think is going to happen if you go through with this?"   
"We will cleanse all the world of darkness!" Gertrude shouted Emily elbowed the woman in the chest "Yeah, good luck with that. just tell me where the knife is" She was starting losing patience  
Gertrude laughed and shook her head "You'll never stop what is coming" She grabbed Emily's sword by the blade and shoved it into her stomach, Emily shrieked and quickly grabbed the sword from Gertrude, she dropped it and clutched the woman's face "Tell me where it is!" she shouted  
"Why don't... you ask... your little...friend," Gertrude said with a cough, as blood stained her lips  
Emily's eyes widened "What?"   
"The boy with no name," Gertrude said, each word a struggle, "He knows" She closed her eyes   
"What does he know? What are you talking about?" Emily shook the woman  
"He isn't telling you everything" Gertrude coughed once more as the life faded from her, Emily let the woman's head drop to the floor and picked up her stained sword. She stood, her blood boiling as she stomped out the door.   
By the time she made her way back to the dust district, it was nightfall, she pushed the door open and lowered the sword to the floor and scanned the room, Corvo was gone "Where the hell is my father?" Emily said, crossing over to the couch and grabbing the unconscious form of The Outsider  
"Wake up!" She said, shaking him, His eyes started to open slowly "Emily?"  
She dug her nails into his chest "You lied to me!" She said, venom in her voice "I went back to that house where I got attacked, Gertrude was still there and she told me that you KNOW where the knife is!"   
The Outsider maintained a facade of calm as she yelled at him  
"You believe a woman who tried to kill you over someone who has given you no reason to distrust him?" He asked, his voice mild, she released his shirt and pushed him back onto the couch   
"Don't say you've given me no reason to distrust you" She spat "You have been secretive from the day we met"   
"Emily," He said calmly "I have never kept anything from you, If there is anything you wish to know, all you have to do is say so"   
"Okay," She said, wiping the sweat from her forehead and feeling the anger starting to slow "Do you know where the knife is?"   
"Yes, and no," He said, "And to answer your next question, I did not disclose this to you or Corvo because I am...."   
"You could have told us from the beginning!" She said, "We didn't have to go through ANY of this!" She stood "Was it more fun this way? Was it more entertaining to you?!" She pulled him up by his shirt "Where is my father?" She asked, struggling to steady her breath  
"He left" The Outsider answered quietly, still maintaining his calm demeanor despite her nails digging into his shoulders in her anger "He left?" Emily said, quieter than her words before "Where?"  
"He went looking for you" He answered  
"And you didn't stop him?"   
"Emily, you and I both know that there is no stopping you or your father from doing anything once you have made a decision"   
She closed her eyes and shook her head, pushing herself away from him.  
"If anything happens to him out there, I will never forgive you," She said, her breath rattled in her anger.  
They stood in silence, Emily trying to calm herself and The Outsider, pretending to be calm  
"Em-" he began, she shook her head "Don't say anything to me," She said  
He took a step closer to her "Fine, I won't speak a word" He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into him, staring deeply into her eyes and resting his hand against her cheek, Emily returned his gaze, her heart beating faster, He trailed his fingers across her cheek and down to her neck  
She looked at him expectantly "Are.. you going to kiss me?" She asked breathlessly  
"Do you want me to?" He inquired  
Emily shook her head "I... don't want you to be so close to me"  
He broke the embrace and stepped away from her "Very well, Emily" He looked away from her  
"When did my father leave?" She asked, trying to shake the lingering feelings that his touch caused  
"A little bit after you did" He answered, still not looking at her  
"I need to find him" Emily rubbed at her temples  
"Emily, let me help you," he said, she shot him a look   
"Why?" She snapped "all you have done is get in the way"   
The Outsider closed his eyes and sighed heavily "I know that you are not happy with me right now, but please set aside your anger and accept my help to find your father"   
"Fine," She said "But don't expect me to talk to you"  
"I will be silent," The Outsider said, Emily bent over to grab her sword and the pair headed out the door.

* * * *   
The Outsider walked with Emily through the Dust District, the night air was chilly against his skin and he rubbed his arms uncomfortably. If Emily noticed his actions she did not react.  
They had been walking for nearly an hour and the cold started getting to him "Emily" He said, his voice a faint whisper as his knees buckled "I can't..."   
Emily stopped and put her arms around him as he sunk to the ground "Are you okay?" She said the concern in her voice like a warm hug in the cold "I'm so weak..." He tried to get up but fell right back "No," Emily said gently "Don't try to move" She caressed his hand as he shivered in her arms.  
"I am getting weaker," He said softly  
Emily brushed her fingers against his forehead  
"You must... keep moving, Emily"   
She shook her head "I won't leave without you"  
"There are so many things I do not understand, so many things that intrigue me about you, Emily Kaldwin," He said weakly "But your desire to stay here in the middle of the street with me absolutely confounds me"   
Emily smiled a little bit if only to keep herself from crying   
"Are you okay?" She asked again "I know that you said the magic wouldn't last... but it-"  
He shook his head "It's not the magic, I'm just so weak" He coughed  
"Come on," She said "I'll help you get somewhere safe" She pulled his arm around her neck and helped him up, leading him down an alley lined with old crates and an abandoned bonfire that was still partly lit. She lowered him to the ground, his arm still around her shoulder.  
"We'll stay here for a while," She said, taking his pale hand in hers.   
"Emily, you must leave me, I will be fine" He insisted  
"No," Emily said, squeezing his hand "I won't leave you" He smiled weakly and squeezed back.  
"Emily I...I have to tell you something" He said suddenly  
"What is it?" She asked, tensing up  
"I do not know... love, I have never known love. But I have heard it described over the years" He said, his voice barely a whisper. "I have watched many couples dance together, kiss each other on the cheek, look deeply into each other's eyes. I have seen love, but I have never touched it before" He reached his hand over to her face "With you, I come close to touching love"   
Emily felt like she was drowning in his words, her breath caught in her throat as he touched her face, pulling her close to him as the fire cast shadows on the alley walls behind them "You have a hold on my heart that I could not break even if I wanted to, Emily"   
She swallowed hard "I... I don't know" He pulled her into him and kissed her, stealing the last of her breath right out of her body, his hand resting on the back of her neck, she found herself falling deeply into the kiss and his embrace when suddenly, he pulled away   
"What's wrong?" Emily asked breathless, touching his shoulder gently, he inched away from her, his eyes focused on the fire "I think you should go"   
"What?" She asked  
"Emily, it is not wise for us to fall victim to these desires, You know as well as I do that it can never... be" The fire reflected in his green eyes, His words felt like an anvil had fallen onto her heart, she looked at her hands "I think that it is important that you go find Corvo on your own"   
"But, it's nightfall. The sky is rumbling and void rocks are going to come crashing down on my head at any moment, Even if I find him... I have no idea where the knife is.. You HAVE to come with me" She tried to keep her voice steady "We need you..."  
She reached over and brushed her hand against his cheek "I need you"   
He pushed her hand away "Emily, I am serious" He said  
"What's the problem?" She asked "You're not a dead god anymore"   
"I won't be alive forever Emily, and I did not want to tell you this, but you are giving me little choice... When this is over, I will leave, I will live out however long I have left in this world, alone"  
Emily put her hand to her mouth as she struggled to keep from crying "What?" She said "I..."  
"What did you think I was going to do Emily?" He asked, his face severe "Did you think when I said I was going to live this way that I would live this way with... you?"   
Emily couldn't even look at him, but she couldn't leave him, feeling trapped she pushed herself up and turned away towards the opening of the alley "So it's true then" She said, taking a deep breath "You don't care about any of us, When it comes down to it, you're just a selfish common street thug" She turned towards him "You used to make a living stealing from people, you used to break in and out of buildings and houses, took what you wanted and left, watching the people scurry around like mice with their heads cut off looking for their trinkets because it was a game to you" She sniffed "And I guess you do the same even now, with people.. Like me, my father. Any of your marked" She spat at the ground "You just want a show"  
He was silent, his gaze still upon the fire "I take it back, I don't need you... I'm going to find my father, and we will find that knife without you"  
She grabbed her sword and left him alone in the dark alley, He stared into the now nearly dying embers of the fire and started to cry.


	17. The Monster With No Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While The Outsider has choice words for former Overseer Whitmore, Emily and her father reunite and fight against the storm.

The Outsider sat alone next to a dying fire, he was far too weak to even begin to move, let alone going to search for Emily, He put his face in his hands for a moment and continued to sob when suddenly he heard a noise from outside the alley. He wiped his eyes and rose from his sitting position cautiously.  
"Someone said they saw something weird happening out around here," A voice said, The Outsider tensed and scanned around for something to hide behind "When isn't something weird happening around here?" a second male voice said "Seems like the world is coming to an end for sure"  
"Do you believe the Overseers? They are saying it's the work of The Outsider"  
"Ah, Come on, that's just a tale told to kids to get them to behave," The man said with a chuckle  
"Shh! Did you hear that?" the first guard hissed "Someone is in the alley"  
The two men approached the opening of the alley, The Outsider tried to hold his breath while he was crouching behind an old crate his foot slipped and he fell with a grunt.  
He heard the sound of boots coming his way and felt the guard grab him by the arm "Looks like we got a street lamb here" He said, sneering  
"Let go of me," The Outsider said  
The guard laughed "What are you going to do about it? You gotta lot of nerve telling me to do anything when you're out here"  
"I'm not doing anything wrong," The Outsider said quietly  
The guard squeezed his arm tighter "Ah, but I bet the abbey wouldn't believe that"  
"I don't care what The Abbey believes," The Outsider replied, trying to wriggle free from the man's grasp "Let GO of me!" He shouted  
The man continued to laugh harder as his friend came over "We've been on duty for a while" He said to the man "Maybe this can be our little break"  
"Of course it won't break us" The other guard roared with laughter, The Outsider was shoved roughly to the ground, his knee slamming into the alley stone, he wasn't able to react to the pain before he was yanked up by his hair and forced into the wall.  
"Alls you gotta do is say you've had enough, and we'll stop," He said, pressing The Outsider's face to the cobbled stone of the building, He tasted dust and blood in his mouth "I guess he doesn't have anything to say"  
The second man chimed in "I can make him talk" the man said, pushing his friend out of the way and kneeing the boy in the stomach.  
The Outsider felt a dizziness that he hadn't felt since he had been killed, he tasted bile in his throat and a trickle of blood starting to run down from his nose  
The man seized him up and shook him by the shoulders "Why aren't you reacting, kid? You like this?"  
He laughed "He likes it, what a freak!" The Outsider breathed hard through his nose, specs of blood coming out with his breath "I do not have anything to say to cowards"  
the man stopped laughing suddenly and his face turned severe "What did you say?"  
"I said you were a coward" He repeated "You're nothing but petty thugs"  
He turned to his friend "I actually think he wants a beating! is that your thing? you like pain?" He took a pause to throw several heavy punches to The Outsider's stomach, he heaved over and the man kicked him again "Say it again kid, I dare you" He said and wiped sweat from his brow.  
"You're... a coward," The Outsider said through clenched teeth as the pain ascended through his body "An ignorant, brutish coward" He spat blood in the man's face.  
The guard kicked him hard again causing The Outsider to double over in pain "What kind of a freak are you?" He laughed, a laugh that echoed in The Outsider's ears, he started to hear a loud ringing as if the pain was taking over the rest of his senses. Suddenly, the guard's laugh was cut short by several shadowy tendrils seemingly growing out from the street below and wrapping around the man's throat. His eyes bulging in shock.  
"By the fucking void!" the second man said, starting to turn to run out of the alley.  
The Outsider stood, his body was wrapped in the shadows and his eyes closed in focus, the guard fell to his knees and slumped over in the dirty alley.  
"What the fuck" The second guard screamed as he was swiftly pulled back into the alley by the shadows and suspended in the air "This isn't right, What the fuck are you!?" he screamed at The Outsider, who opened his eyes to reveal solid obsidian, the light from the street reflecting eerily in them.  
"Let me go!" He screamed and struggled against the smoke  
The Outsider dropped to his knees and the guard fell from his shadowed prison, he stumbled hurriedly out of the alley.  
The Outsider picked himself up from the ground, stumbled into the alley wall and felt the world around him whirl as he lost conciousness.

* * * *

"Father?" Emily hissed "Father where are you?" She was rushing through the dark alley's and jumping the rooftops in search of her father, he had left hours before and she had no idea where he could possibly be or if he was even... _no_ , she thought, _don't even think that way._ The sky was pitch black, Emily was fearful that the hailstorm from the previous night would continue. She stopped when she felt the mark on the back of her hand starting to burn, she pulled her hand up to inspect the mark. It was vibrant black, looking as new as when she first got it "What?" Emily whispered, running a finger curiously over it.  
She drew her finger away when it burned "Ouch" she blew on her finger in an attempt to cool it. The thunder roared louder and she finally snapped out of her reverie when tiny obsidian rocks started to drop against the ground around her, "Oh, by the void" she cursed and covered her head with her hands, she searched around for cover, spotting an abandoned shop with a door hanging off the hinges, she ran into it and ducked under a table "Father" She whispered urgently "Where are you?"

* * * *  
The Outsider woke up to the flickering of fire, he squinted his eyes and saw the silhouette of a man sitting across from him, slowly stroking at the fire with a rough looking stick. "Wha...what happened?" The Outsider asked, his voice hoarse, he sat up to get a better look at the man "Overseer Whitmore?"  
"Yes, it is me," The man said, his voice quiet "I don't appreciate what you did back there, knocking me out and all." He coughed  
"Oh," He said sheepishly "I'm sorry about that, Sir."  
Whitmore ignored his apology, "Where are your friends at, The Empress and Her Lord Protector?"  
"I won't tell you that," The Outsider said firmly "You betrayed their trust, you deceived them, I wish to know why"  
Whitmore cleared his throat "I didn't want to do it" he confessed "I am very fond of the Empress and of Lord Corvo... They made me do it, The Abbey"  
He put the wooden stick down and looked up at the boy "They suspected the Empress was a heretic... They insisted it was the only way she could have taken her throne back against the witch in the coup last year."  
The Outsider stared into the fire and considered his next words very carefully "Why does The Abbey wish to insist upon this rhetoric that The Outsider is responsible for all of the sins of this world? Does it not just seem that they blame everything on The Outsider to absolve themselves of any real responsibility?"  
Whitmore recoiled at the words as if he were branded with a hot piece of metal "It is simply because it is true, There are many dark things in this world that you will find bear the touch of The Outsider." He said in a level tone, but his expression betrayed that he was on the edge of outrage. The Outsider fought against an eye roll "An example, Sir?"  
"The Murder of Jessamine Kaldwin.." He stated matter-of-factly "That would never have happened if it wasn't for Daud, the assassin, They say he was marked by the Outsider"  
The Outsider felt himself growing more impatient with the man "I believe that our fates are not set in stone, Daud was a man for hire before he received the Outsider's mark, Admittedly not assassinations, but once you start on that path..." Whitmore cocked his head at him "You... know a lot more than you should about this, I have half a mind to assume you are in the grasps of The Outsider as well" _Yes,_ The Outsider thought _you do have half a_ mind _if that._  
"Do you or any of the other Abbey members not believe that blaming all the wrongs in this world on The Outsider is a tad bit... lazy?"  
"Excuse me?" Whitmore said incredulously  
"Did you ever stop to consider that there are other things in the world that could be at fault? and that maybe The Outsider was once a victim to tragedy?"  
Whitmore laughed and his laugh rang in The Outsiders ears, it felt like being slapped across the face, a ringing in his ears and a sinking feeling in his chest, he felt his shoulders sink and he looked back towards the fire.  
"Careful young man, you're starting to sound more and more like a heretic"  
"I apologize, Sir. But I do like to study everything, not merely the facade"  
"The Outsider has been directly responsible for some of the worst crimes imaginable, I simply think you do not know enough about the monster" The Outsider pushed himself up from his seat and weakly limped over to Whitmore, sitting beside the man "Can I tell you a story, sir?" He asked and Whitmore nodded "Go right ahead, young man"  
"Very long ago, in a place time has all but forgotten... There were a group of people who believed"  
Whitmore looked from the fire to the boy sitting at his side "Believed what?"  
"They believed as you did, so devout they were to their own cause that they stole a child, put him in a cage, and slit his throat," He said, his voice calm despite his hands shaking  
Whitmore coughed "That's uh, that's quite the story, my young friend"  
"I am merely recounting the tale in the hopes that you recognize that things are not as black and white as The Abbey wishes you to believe. There are shades of gray in everything humanity does"  
"The Outsider is not a human," Whitmore said, his tone starting to change to that of anger, they sat in silence while staring into the flames, several minutes passed when The Outsider looked at the man, a look of pity, sadness and reproach "Can you help me find Corvo and Emily?"  
Whitmore raised his eyebrow "Why would you ask for my help? I betrayed them"  
"You did not wish to, that is why I know that I can trust you this time, Please, help me find them. They went looking for that artifact, alone. and it is much more dangerous than you could understand"  
"What are you talking about?" He asked, "How do you know any of this?"  
"I'm well traveled," The Outsider said with a smile

* * * * *  
The world felt like it was coming to a halt outside, Emily was crouched under the table and heard the clinking against what was left of the glass on the window, the wind blew in through the door and she clutched her sword tightly in her hand.  
Her head started to hurt and her vision started to cloud, flashes of her father, what looked like a dark portal, and finally, The Outsider, his eyes open but his life gone.  
Emily dropped the sword and grabbed her head "Stop it!" She screamed at the empty house, her voice drowned out by the sound of the wind roaring.  
"He has died before and he will die again," a voice said, Emily crawled out from under the table and rose to her feet  
"Who is there?" She said, scanning the dark room  
"You cannot save him," the voice said, ignoring her query, "This is his destiny"  
She bent over to pick up the sword "Show yourself" "We are everywhere, we are everything, He will always die, this is the way it must go."  
Emily crossed to the window "Tell me who you are!" She yelled Her heart was pounding as more flashes went through her head and her knees buckled beneath her as the pain mounted, she saw her mother being run through with Daud's sword, she saw her father being thrown in Coldridge prison, she saw Delilah stealing her throne, she saw The Outsider's lifeless body being dragged towards a dark portal and she screamed.  
"Emily!" she heard her father's familiar voice shouting out to her over the howl of the wind, he rushed over to her and helped her up "What's happened?"  
"I came looking for you, The Outsider said you had gone to find me," She said, her head pounding to the rhythm of her heart.  
"Emily it was a mistake to let you go alone," He admitted, pulling her into a tight embrace.  
"Father, I'm fine, Nothing happened to me" She pushed herself out of his hug gently, He eyed her, and instead of arguing with her, he nodded. "I think I might know where the knife is," He said, helping Emily into a half-broken chair  
"How could you possibly know that?" She asked, feeling dust dancing at the back of her throat  
"My mark," He said, holding up his hand "It's back, it's brighter than it's been the whole time down here and it burns, I've been getting strange flashes in my mind" Emily grabbed his hand to study his mark "I have as well"  
"I think it gets worse the closer we get to that knife," Her father said, leaning against the window beside her  
"We have to keep moving, but there's no easy way to get around out there in this storm, I can't see five feet in front of me."  
"We'll just wait for the dust to settle a little bit before we head out," Emily said  
"There might not be enough time for that, Emily," Her father said, his voice severe  
Emily put her hand to her face and sighed deeply  
"Where is The Outsider?" Her father asked, crossing to the doorway and lifting up the broken door to cover the empty space, the wind rattled against it and threatened to knock it over again, but it held firm for the time being.  
Emily glanced everywhere except at her father, hoping that his question would be forgotten.  
"Emily?" He said, standing in front of her "Where is he?"  
"I couldn't take him any further, he was losing energy and it was best that he stayed behind" She answered, she knew that he could tell she wasn't being fully honest in her answer, but he did not probe her further.  
"I don't think we have the time to wait out that storm, It's getting worse by the minute, if we don't do something soon, there might not be anything left" He said "We have to go, now" Emily nodded and pulled herself up, she grabbed her sword and they headed towards the dilapidated door to face the storm.

* * * *

"Can you walk?" Whitmore asked his young companion, The Outsider nodded "I can" The Outsider looked up at the dark sky, it almost looks like The Void, he thought  
"It's really bad out here" Whitmore observed, wind kicking up dust around them.  
"An astute observation," The Outsider said as they turned out onto the street.  
"I fail to understand why you young people must be so appalling in your attitudes," Whitmore said, brushing the dust off his coat.  
The Outsider stopped in his tracks and turned back towards the former overseer "You have unbridled disdain for everything that I am, Why should my attitude surprise you?" He asked  
Whitmore looked rather taken aback "My dear boy, I don't have disdain for you! As a matter of fact... You kind of remind me of my son" He said, The Outsider raised an eyebrow "Your son?"  
Whitmore nodded, a dark look clouding his eyes as the winds started quieting down, they continued their walk through the empty streets, after some silence Whitmore spoke again "My son" he said with a sad smile "He passed when he was but a boy" The Outsider didn't respond but suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for the man  
"My brothers in The Abbey" He said, swallowing hard "They were the ones who took him away from me, For years they told me that it was the darkness that took him from me" He cleared his throat "My son had dreams, he dreamt of The Void, He claimed to see The Outsider's face... and he fell into these dark machinations, Started being secretive, kept runes that he didn't think I knew about but oh, I knew"  
The Outsider listened to Whitmore while trying not to lose control of his emotions.  
"The Abbey found out" Whitmore continued "They took my son from me and I watched them, They forced me to stand back as they took my only child from me and labeled him a heretic"  
The Outsider turned around to look at the man "But you did not blame them?"  
Whitmore shook his head "No, not at first, I thought they were just and noble in their cause" His voice started to strain "For years they taught me that all corruption was the work of him, The Outsider, for years I believed them but in my heart I always knew that it was not The Outsider I saw dragging my son, kicking and screaming away from his home, but the masked faces of my brothers" He looked down "And in a way... I was just as responsible"  
"I've seen The Void" The Outsider spoke softly, putting a hand to Whitmore's arm "Everyone has seen The Void at some point in their life"  
Whitmore nodded "I suppose that's true"  
"Do you think your son was a heretic?" The Outsider asked him, gently  
"No, no my boy was a good boy, he was an innocent boy who was corrupted by the darkness of-" He smiled sorrowfully  
The Outsider looked away, tears starting to well up in his eyes, He wasn't sure if they were tears of anger or sadness or maybe a little bit of both  
"He was just a boy," Whitmore said in a pained whisper "And they stole his life away from him" His voice shook "All because of The Outsider"  
His words were the final straw, The Outsider turned and started to walk against the settling dust on his own "Where are you going?" Whitmore shouted, struggling to run alongside the boy  
"I am going to find Emily and her father myself" He answered without looking toward Whitmore  
"You seem to be rattled, my boy, I apologize for my story back there, I've never told anyone that before," He said, trying to get his breathing back to normal after his jogging.  
"It isn't your story," The Outsider replied, nevertheless keeping his pace "It is the fact that you gladly blame everything on a myth, a legend, instead of who is truly responsible for these dark things, you blame The Outsider"  
"I have nothing else to blame, my son," Whitmore said sadly  
The Outsider pushed memories of Father Creely out of his mind, he had once spoken to him like this, soft and gentle, calling him "son"  
"You do, you said so back there," The Outsider said, "You told me you knew that it was your brothers responsible for taking your child"  
"They would have never been there if it were not for The Outsider's dark and perverted-"  
The Outsider bit his lip to keep from reacting the way he wanted to as he curled his hand into a fist at his side and rose the other one to signal Whitmore to quiet himself "I mean no disrespect, Sir, but please cease talking"  
"That is very disrespectful, young man," Whitmore said, his brow furrowed  
"I am not a young man," The Outsider said, spinning around to face Whitmore "There are things in this world and beyond that, you do not and will never understand, That knife is one of those things"  
"Knife..." Whitmore said "How... do you know about that?... That information was confidential"  
"That story I told you, a young man who had his throat slit," The Outsider said, calmly approaching Whitmore  
"Do you know why this boy was killed?"  
Whitmore swallowed hard "I... I don't know what..."  
The Outsider grabbed Whitmore by the outer folds of his jacket "You know" He said, his voice shaking "You know that four thousand years ago a boy was sacrificed to The Void, and you know that the artifact you are after is the knife that killed him"  
"I don't know what you are talking about!" Whitmore shouted, "Let go of me!"  
The Outsider let him go, his hands shaking, "Do you know who that boy was?" He asked  
"No!" Whitmore said waving his hands around "Nobody does, this was an event that occurred before all our times! It's astounding to me that even you know it"  
"Do you know what it feels like to have your life stolen from you?"  
Whitmore shook his head  
"I do," He said softly and turned away, tears welling up in his eyes "Let's find Emily and her father before it's too late," He said, walking away from Whitmore and leaving the man confused and horrified before following suit.


	18. The World That Does Not Exist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily and her father race against time and the elements as the world starts to change around them

Emily and Corvo braved the heavy dust that billowing in all directions reducing visibility entirely. They had been walking for quite a while and had no idea what direction they were headed. Emily stopped walking and put her hand to her temple "Ouch" She said  
Corvo stopped "Emily?" He shouted, trying to find her in the dust "I feel... faint" Emily groaned and heaved over in pain "Father..." she said, He rushed to her side and grabbed her hand "Emily what is it?" He asked, his voice filled with concern  
She felt her head spinning as her mark started burning "I can feel something, something horrible"   
"Is it the knife?" He asked  
"It's... something... My mark is burning through my skin" She bit her bottom lip   
"Emily, If it's this close maybe I should go on my own" She pushed his hand away "No, Father" She said, struggling to get up "I am fine, I will fight through this, We go together, or not at all" He put his arm around her and helped raise her upwards "Alright Emily, but I can't take care of you and save the world" He said with a smirk, Emily leaned into him to help steady herself "I kept having flashes back there," Emily said, "I kept seeing different things, past, present and future" Corvo nodded "I saw some strange things too, this thing... Whatever is happening, it seems to be getting worse" Emily wiped the dust from her eyes "This storm, it was settling and now it seems to be worse than it was before"  
"Emily!" Corvo shouted, "Stop!" He pulled her back.  
"What in the void?" She gasped as the city changed around them, They were no longer in Karnaca, hills seemed to grow up from nothing around them and there were no buildings in sight  
"Where are we?" Emily whispered, Corvo put a finger to his lips to signal for her to be quiet, up ahead Emily and Corvo saw a strange portal, it was surrounded by hooded cultists, staring up at what looked like thousands of hands hungrily reaching out from the depths of the portal. Emily looked at her father in horror, both of their marks burned brightly on their hands.

* * * *

The Outsider stopped in the middle of the alley as Whitmore stared around at the debris from the storm, broken glass and dead bodies littering the streets "By The Outsider" He said, gasping   
"Is it not considered heretical for you to utter that phrase?" The Outsider asked, his voice heavy with sarcasm  
"Not like I haven't already been banned from The Abbey," Whitmore said bitterly  
"What will you do now?" The Outsider asked, starting to sense something strange in the air, something he couldn't put a finger on. It unsettled him, "I don't know, maybe go to Morley, learn to make wine," Whitmore said with a shrug  
"You must at this point, realize Sir, that no matter where you go - The pain and the guilt of losing your son will follow you." The Outsider said softly, turning towards Whitmore who was now sat on the sidewalks.  
The Outsider sat beside him "Yes, we should take a rest" He said "Maybe if we wait, the dust will pass"   
They sat in silence for a couple of minutes when The Outsider spoke again  
"Do you know what I am?" He said, his voice quiet  
Whitmore closed his eyes "Please do not do this" He said  
The Outsider placed his hand on the man's arm "I am not a monster" He said "I was once a boy, like your son"   
Whitmore shook his head "You have no right to speak of my son"  
The Outsider sighed "Perhaps not, I did not know your son"  
"My son was plagued with nightmares for many years" The man looked down  
"Was he plagued by them or did he seek them out?" Whitmore put his hand to his mouth in shock "How dare you to say such a thing!"  
"I do not mean to offend you, Whitmore," The Outsider said, his eyes fixed on the man   
"Well, you damn well have!" Whitmore said with a sneer "My son was perfect, He was a good child!"  
"I have no doubts about that, Whitmore," The Outsider said "But you must realize the truth in my words, many of those who fall prey to The Void, do so on purpose"  
Whitmore scoffed "What about you?"  
"You already know that," The Outsider said, mimicking a knife motion across his throat, Whitmore winced  
"If The Abbey thinks I am a heretic based on what I did to Lord Attano and Empress Kaldwin... Imagine if they saw me now"  
The Outsider sat up straight "Do not sit with The Outsider, this is a path to his dark machinations, Evil dwells within his eyes"   
Whitmore, despite himself, chuckled   
"When did you figure it out?" The Outsider asked  
Whitmore put his fingers to his forehead  
"The fact that a street kid like you knows so much about things that the Abbey has never made public, myths and legends and with the correct information..." He said "When you asked me if I knew what it was to have my life stolen from me... It was pretty easy for me to piece it together after that"   
The Outsider nodded "You seem to be reacting less than I thought you would, being a man of The Abbey" He admitted  
Whitmore gave him a sad smile "I was never really a man of The Abbey, I think I just needed something to believe in..."   
"We all do," The Outsider said  
They sat staring at the rubble as rain gently fell from the sky "Do you remember your name?" Whitmore asked  
"No" The Outsider admitted "I do not, it has been lost through time"   
"My son's name was Greggory," Whitmore said "Sometimes, I forget little moments that I had with my son, I can't imagine ever forgetting his name"  
The Outsider glanced at the man and put his hand on his shoulder "I am so sorry" He said  
Whitmore looked at the young boy in front of him "How is this possible? How are you here?"  
"The Outsider walks among us," He said with a smile "Simply put, I am here in a mortal construct, physically and mentally, but it does not last forever"   
Whitmore raised his eyebrows "I can't imagine going back after that" He said, The Outsider shook his head   
"I am not going back" He confessed and looked away from Whitmore, the rain starting to fall harder on the roads in front of the pair  
"What do you mean? What will happen once the magic wears out?"  
"I will die," The Outsider said simply.   
"Do you wish to die?" Whitmore asked  
"I wish to live, as long as I have, I do not wish to be in The Void anymore" He looked at Whitmore with a pained expression "My life was stolen from me so very long ago, even a moment walking in this world again will be enough"  
Whitmore put his hand on the boy's shoulder "What about The Empress?"   
The Outsider gave Whitmore a quizzical look "What about The Empress?"  
Whitmore chuckled "I may have been an Abbey man, but that does not mean I don't see what is true when it's right in front of me, The way you look at that young woman, it is a look of pure and absolute happiness, I have never experienced that kind of happiness, not in my whole life." The Outsider sat in a stunned silence at the man's words.  
"She is a wonderful person, who deserves happiness, Something I will never be able to give her." The Outsider said with a sigh  
"You truly were a human at one point," Whitmore stated "Such a strange thing to see emotion on a man I was taught to fear"   
"Do you still fear me?"   
Whitmore shook his head "I should, but...no, I do not"  
"Is it because I remind you of your son?" The Outsider asked the man, Whitmore gave him a nod "My son had a fire within him, the same as you do"  
"I am sorry about your son," The Outsider said  
Whitmore shook his head "I know now that it is not you to blame, I blame The Abbey, I blame myself, but you were not responsible for this" He sighed deeply "My whole life is turned upside down by these events"   
"If I had known...." The Outsider said, his voice shaking "I would have tried.. to help him..."   
Whitmore looked at the young man  
"You even look a little bit like my son" He marveled   
The Outsider gave the man a pat on the shoulder "We need to go, I don't think the dust is going to settle, We have to find Emily" Whitmore nodded and stood, he extended his hand to help up the young man off the sidewalk, The Outsider eyed his hand and then took it "Thank you, Sir"   
The pair continued onwards.


	19. Through This Spectrum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end draws near for The Outsider but someone makes the ultimate sacrifice in order to save him. Will it even matter in the end?

"What the hell is going on?" Corvo whispered to Emily, they both stared in horror at the disturbing portal "Is that... the void?" She responded in the same hushed tone.  
"I have no idea," Corvo said, trying to keep his voice quiet "However we need to find that knife, it's close, I can sense it"  
"What if one of those crazy cultists has it?" Emily asked, she nearly lost her balance "Emily?" Her father grasped her shoulder.  
"I'm fine..." Emily said, pushing his hand away "I just. feel a little faint" she collapsed to her knees and grasped her head in her hands, visions flashing through her mind, the screams of The Outsider as he died on the altar, the chants of the men that killed him, the heat from a great city burning, she almost felt the heat on her skin as the flames licked the buildings and brought them to ruins, a beautiful woman turned mad by The Void, a young man dying in an alley surrounded by rats, She doubled over and her vision went completely dark.  
When she came to, she was floating in mid-air, she tried to move her arms but they were chained by a strange dark energy that looked as though it came right out of The Void itself, looking to her right she spotted her father in the same predicament.   
"Father!" She gasped  
"Emily!" He said, "You're awake"   
Emily nodded "What...happened?"   
"We're in a bit of a bind right now, when you fainted they heard you, found us and strung us up here, What happened to you back there?" He asked  
Emily looked to her left, seeing a third set of chains that was empty.  
"It's... it's the same thing that happened to me before with Zhukov... I saw all these visions and I couldn't..." She trailed off  
"But before, that only happened when you touched the knife..." Corvo said, "What the hell is going on?"   
Emily shook her head "I don't know, this isn't good.." She struggled against the binds "Where did those men go?" She asked her father.  
"After they chained us up... they just left, I think they're looking for him," Corvo said, he too was struggling against the otherworldly binds that held him in place.  
"The Outsider?" Emily whispered, her voice betraying her worry  
Her father nodded "They seem to be part of the same group that Gertrude was talking about, they've got the knife, Emily, I saw it, They have it with them"   
"What do you think their plan is here?"   
"Well, I'm pretty sure they're going to kill us" He said dryly  
"Father!" She said   
"Emily, I'm not joking around here, look at your hand" Emily looked up at her bound hand, her mark wasn't there "What the hell?"  
"I noticed mine was gone when they finished stringing me up, I can't even hear the void anymore," Corvo said, sighing deeply "This keeps getting weirder"  
"The only one with the power to take away the mark was Delilah... What if.. what if she's back?" Emily gave her father a worried look, Corvo shook his head "There's no way Delilah could have come back from what you did"   
"But what if she did?!" Emily said, starting to panic "If she came back she would have a vendetta against The Outsider, she would want him dead!"   
"Emily, you have to calm down, We can't figure out a way to get out of here while you're riled up," He said "Just please, breathe" Emily took her father's advice and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath in and exhaling. "What are we going to do?" She asked her father in a low voice.   
"Be quiet, Emily, I think I hear them coming back" He warned  
Emily strained her eyes to look ahead and saw the hooded figures coming closer, they headed over to the portal and began chanting at it again, holding their hands up over their heads.  
"What are they doing?" She whispered to her father  
"Seems to be some kind of magic" He whispered back  
"If they want to kill The Outsider, it must be serious black magic," She said  
"It doesn't have to be" One of the hooded figures stepped closer towards Emily and her father, "He is a mortal now, easily killed"   
"No," Emily said, "Don't do this, don't hurt him, You have no idea what's going to happen if you do this!"   
"We know that the world will return to it's purest form!" The hooded man shouted  
"What the hell are you talking about?" Corvo demanded  
"You will soon find out! This world will be pure again, and those who have sinned will be judged harshly!" He shouted.  
Another one of the hooded figures approached "Judgement day is at hand!" a female voice said  
"Now we have a slight problem with you two, we just do not know what to do with you," The Leader said, pacing back and forth in front of them.   
"We were considering throwing you into that portal over there, it would feed off your energy" The woman added  
"Where are our marks?!" Emily demanded, her voice angry  
"We have removed those disgusting dark remnants of The Outsider, really, You should be thanking us"   
"Why would we ever thank you?" Corvo asked "One of your own tried to kill my daughter"   
"I've had enough of this" Emily said, "Let us go!"   
"No, we cannot do that." The Leader said  
"You damn well can!" a familiar voice said behind The Leader and his co-conspirator.  
"Ah, it seems the guest of the hour is here," The Leader said, tenting his fingers together, Emily squinted past the two hooded figures and saw him, The Outsider, standing beside Whitmore  
"I'm not going to be a part of your games," He said, stepping forward   
"It's not a game, my dear, It's a ritual!" the hooded man said  
"I've had enough rituals to last me several lifetimes" The Outsider said "Stop what you are doing, I don't want to fight you"   
The Leader laughed "You don't, but what if I do this...." He said, turning towards Emily and pulling a dagger out of his robes "This lovely little knife is called The Kult Knife, it can take life as easy as it can create monsters" He waved his hand in the air, Emily was no longer in chains but she was still unable to move, Corvo struggled against his, the sounds of rattling loud in the eerie night silence "Emily!" He screamed  
"SILENCE!" The Leader shouted, pushing his hands outwards, Corvo was removed from his chains, falling hard to the ground and just like Emily, completely unable to move.  
The Leader grabbed Emily by her hair and placed the knife to her throat "You want to watch the one you are enamored by die?" He said, looking towards The Outsider "Or do you want to do whatever we ask of you? It's your choice"   
"These games are unnecessary!" The Outsider said, taking a step forward.  
"Any further and I will have this knife thrust into her throat," The Leader said with a flash of a grin. The Outsider stepped back slowly, he glanced at Whitmore who was cowering beside him.   
Emily looked up at The Leader, she could barely make out his face before she was overcome with waves of dizziness "No!" She screamed "Please no, Please! why is it so dark" Emily screamed "Mother! Mother no!"   
"She seems to be having some sort of memory flashes" The Leader smiled darkly within his hood, "How interesting," He said slowly "So what caught your eye about this one. Huh?" The Leader asked The Outsider   
"Stop this" He shouted back in response  
"I want to know," The Leader said, "Why are you so interested in her?"   
"Stop it," The Outsider said, "Let her go!"   
Whitmore stepped forward "Please stop this, Empress Emily did not do anything wrong"   
The Leader scoffed and threw his head back "Do you know what they are doing over there?" he looked towards his brothers and sisters, all wearing the same color robe and all chanting something in a language Emily had only ever heard bits and pieces of, once by an old witch in an alley and another time by Sokolov.  
Pandyssian, she thought, They are speaking the language of Pandyssia, but how do they know so much of it?   
The Leader pressed the knife to her throat harder "We're running out of time, Black Eyed Prince, make your decision"   
"I refuse to let you hurt her!" He said  
"THEN MAKE A CHOICE" The Leader shouted, impatiently  
"I choose to do whatever you ask of me," He said, stepping forward, The Leader let his hold on Emily go and moved to grab the boy by the arm, leading him towards the portal.  
"No!" Whitmore shouted, "Don't take him!"   
Emily, Whitmore, and Corvo were being held in place by dark magic, unable to move, unable to stop what was happening, Corvo tried to reach for Emily but collapsed to the ground.  
"Father!" Emily shouted   
"Where are you taking him?" Whitmore asked the man  
"It matters not where we take him, for it is his destiny to die," The Leader said  
Emily struggled against the magic binding her and she watched horrified as the cultists lead The Outsider to the portal and the dark hands from unknown depths started growing longer, shadows dancing in the air around him as if waiting for the perfect moment to grab him and pull him in.  
"And so it is today that the threat of The Outsider has ceased!" The Leader shouted to his brothers and sisters, many of them seemingly arriving from nowhere as if they appeared from thin air.   
"He will never again harm us, he will never again mark our people, and he will never again see the light of day" Emily watched them encircle The Outsider  
"What are they doing!?" Whitmore yelled  
Emily struggled to see through the crowd "No..." She said "They are... those are sigils, they are drawing sigils around him"   
"What sigils? Can you see them!?" Whitmore shouted back  
"Banishment" Emily said, trying to crane her neck to see more, forgetting that her body was unable to move  
"Banishment...." Whitmore repeated   
The two watched the events unfold, horrified, Emily wished to close her eyes but was unable to and suddenly the hooded crowd drew away from the boy.  
"It is time now! Take him from us!" The Leader shouted, the dark arms complied and lifted The Outsider up in the air, preparing to throw him through the portal and into whatever lay beyond.  
What happened next was so quick that Emily could barely keep up, Whitmore had broken free of his binds and tackled the head cultist, punching him in the face and ripping the Kult Knife from his hands "No!" He screamed, holding the knife up "I won't let this happen again!" The arms switched focus, dropping The Outsider and seizing Whitmore into their dark clutches before he could even react.  
The Outsider gasped in pain as he thudded to the ground, when he looked up he saw Whitmore being carried closer to the portal  
"Why are you doing this?!" he shouted at Whitmore  
"Because" Whitmore shouted over the loud chanting "You remind me of my son, and I couldn't let them hurt you like my boy was, You are a good man, I was wrong about you. We all were" The hands covered his mouth and withdrew into the portal. Whitmore was gone.   
"No!" The Leader screamed, rising to his feet and rushing to seize the knife that Whitmore had dropped, He tackled The Outsider and pressed the blade to his throat "You HAVE to die!"   
Emily broke free of her binds and jumped onto the hooded man, she wrestled the knife from his fingers and threw it hard into the portal causing a loud rumble and sparks of bright blue light, the portal started to crack around the edges.   
"Emily!" The Outsider shouted, "Get out of the way, It's going to explode!"   
Emily rushed to find her father, "Corvo" She said, trying to rouse her sleeping "Please, wake up" She shook him "Corvo!" starting to feel panic running through her blood, she felt around for a pulse, it was beating very weakly, "I can't move him!" She shouted at The Outsider, who was trying to get away from the hooded man's grasp on his ankle "Hold on Emily" He responded, kicking the man in the face and standing up, the portal started glowing brighter and brighter until finally...   
The explosion rocked the ground around Emily for miles, she was clutching her father, holding her eyes shut tight and knowing that this was the end of her life, she waited for death to claim her and her father, but for some reason it never did, and as soon as it had begun, the rumbling stopped.  
Emily lifted her head and opened her eyes to look around, the portal was destroyed, the cultists were all dead, and The Outsider was nowhere to be found.


	20. Epilogue: Before You Bid Me Adieu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily gets an unexpected surprise, one she could do without.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter, epilogue, for my fic Embers! Thank you so much for reading this and thanks for the comments that kept me writing this story. I'm really happy that it was viewed and enjoyed, Hope you loved these last few moments between Emily and The Outsider!

It had been nearly a fortnight since the events in Karnaca, Emily and Corvo were back within the safety of Dunwall Tower.  
After the explosion, Emily was eventually able to rouse her father and get on the first boat they could find leaving the harbor.   
It was nightfall and Emily was standing on her balcony, covered in bruises and bandages, she took a deep breath of the crisp night air.   
Corvo did not make his presence known to her, but she knew he was standing behind her "Father"   
"Emily," he said softly  
She turned around to face her father "How are you feeling, father?"   
"I'm fine," he said "still a little bruised up, but I've been through worse," He said with a chuckle "How are you holding up?"  
"I can't believe he's gone," She said, swallowing hard "What he did for us..." She looked down at her hand "I don't understand why these are here... Those cultists seemed to take them away and now they are back"   
Corvo shook his head "The mysteries of The Void run very deep" He sighed "I'm sorry, Emily. It's never easy to lose someone you care for so deeply"   
He put his arm around his daughter and they watched the stars together for a while. After some time, Corvo retired to his own chambers, leaving Emily alone with her thoughts, but she wasn't completely alone, she turned to go back into her room and saw him sitting on the bed.   
She blinked and slowly stepped forward  
"I am real, yes" The Outsider answered her unasked question  
"How... I... we thought you.."  
"Died?" He said simply "Not so, I was protected from the explosion in the same manner you were"  
"Why.. why are you here now? Why didn't you come here sooner? Where have you been?" Emily twiddled her thumbs as the questions poured out of her  
"This decision is not an easy one for me," The Outsider said, standing and pacing around her, Emily felt her heart beat faster, thudding against her chest as if it were determined to break her bones.  
"I have cast aside a life I could have had"  
Emily looked at him "But.. you said the construct only lasts a few days...How are you-" Emily stopped as she realized what she was looking at "You... went back to the void?" She asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking  
"I had determined that the construct could very well have lasted days, or even months," He said, not answering her question  
"Then why did you give it up?!"   
"Because there was no way of knowing, and a life lived in fear of death, is no life at all" He closed his eyes "When the portal exploded, I took the opportunity to go far from where you and your father were, I had made my decision already, I performed the spell to cast away my construct and return to The Void"  
"You did... all of this without even. coming to me?" Emily asked, her voice shaking  
"Emily I am capable of making my own choices"  
"That's not the point!" Emily shouted "You let me think you were dead! You let me think I had lost you!"  
"Emily..." He said with a sigh   
Emily grabbed a vase from her table and tossed it through the air, he disappeared from where he was and appeared again behind her, the vase shattering against her fireplace  
"I did not do this to hurt you, Emily"  
"You could have stayed... you could have remained a mortal, a human!" She said, The Outsider looked away "Is there something wrong with the way I am now, Emily? Do you have some problem with the fact that I am not human?"  
"No.. that's not what I meant... you just... you could have had more, you could have been-"   
"More" He finished "I could have been more" He circled her and placed his hands behind his back "Ah, so it is true, you are ashamed that you have fallen for something not quite human, not quite real enough"  
Emily shook her head "No, that's not what I said!"  
"I do not have to rely on your words when it is written on your face" He paused, looking at her "The threat is over," He said "This is goodbye, Empress" Before Emily could react, he was gone.  
Emily crossed over to the bed and sank down, putting her face in her hands, she spent the night sobbing.


End file.
